


Lion Prince.

by Thousandsmiles



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Also a bow because we can't have Kili without a bow, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Beorn because why not, Brotherly Bonding, Dis is scary, Erebor Corps, Fighting Rings, Firefights, Freaky Dragon, Gen, Kili has a sniper rifle, MMA type fighting, Messed up Fili, Messed up everyone in the Dragon's Den, Motorcycles, No Slash, OCs - Freeform, Orcs, Rocket Launchers, Smaug is evil but we knew that, Some Fluff, help I need a better summary, injuries associated with MMA fighting and firefights
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-05
Updated: 2018-05-24
Packaged: 2018-06-06 14:59:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 41
Words: 63,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6758779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thousandsmiles/pseuds/Thousandsmiles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How would would they be, if Kili and Fili never met each other? Fili gets kidnapped when he was a child and Kili wasn't even born yet. An older Kili goes on a search for the brother he has never seen. Will he find him? And if he does, what is Fili like and how would Fili react to him? Also the ORCS attacking don't make things any less stressful.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I hope you guys like this fic.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own The Hobbit.

How do you pick up from where you never started off? All I've ever had were stories. Not even memories. And for him, not even those. And yet somehow I feel as if we're inexorably tied together with the strings of fate. Yes, we were connected in one way but that didn't matter if the heart didn't care. But I feel somehow that wherever he is, he does care. Even if he has never known me. I know I do. But fate can be a bitch sometimes.

Master B. said that fate chooses what is meant for each of our paths and it is not our part to complain but to walk the path laid out for us. Fate never does anything without care. 

“There are lessons to be learned laddie, from each step of the way, even if you do not know it. Leave Fate up to her devices and get on with your own.” 

Of course that mysticism seems like crap in this day and age, what with all the technology around. People it seems, like to decide their own fate. But when Master B. says anything, it hard to laugh. You just get the feeling that he's lived so long, and knows so much, that anything that comes out of his mouth is wisdom. 

The same way I get that the feeling that we're connected, he and I. Like one day I'll find him and maybe get rid of the sadness in mum's and uncle's faces. Maybe get to see my brother for the first time. 

With hopes so crazy, a little mysticism isn't so bad. But then, I've always been reckless and crazy. Always willing to take the risk. Always rather suffering the rod than refraining. That's just me: Kili Durin, heir to Erebor Corps, largest security firm for all manner of businesses that deal in jewelry and other forms of precious metals and gems. And I'm on a mission to find my brother whom I have never seen.


	2. Chapter 2

Kili stood across the road and stared up at the tall skyscraper, appearing to be made of entirely dark glass. Of course at night, the glass was always dark. Faint muted light came from inside, from the uppermost floors. But you could hardly see it. It was blotted out by the greater source of light: the sign that said Erebor Corps, splayed on the top of the building. Kili stood a few more minutes in the street looking at the building, with the wind whipping up his long black hair around his face, trying to work up the nerve to go inside and face his mother and uncle, while simultaneously wondering if there was a way he could sneak up without them knowing it, and get to his room. The rational part of his mind told him that that was impossible. Erebor Corps was a security business. If they couldn’t catch someone sneaking into their own building, then how were they going to be able to protect the business that relied on them? And Kili knew Erebor Corps was the best in the business. Besides he already had all his failures from his attempts to sneak away while grounded to remind him, in case he forgot.  He sighed and tilted his face into the wind, enjoying its cool touch on his severely bruised cheekbones and his busted mouth. Then he sighed again and turned back to face the building and jammed his hands into his jacket pockets. There was nothing for it; he had to go in sometime. He crossed the street and entered the building.

Kili being Kili, of course still tried to sneak in. He made it all the away to the penthouse on the top floor without any encounters and had just stealthily entered the apartment and was in the act of turning down the corridor towards his room when a voice spoke out.

“Where have you been boy?”

Kili suppressed the urge to hunch his shoulders and turned slowly to face his uncle. Behind him was his mother, Dis. When she saw his face she gave a little gasp.

“Oh Kili!” she said, “Not again!” Kili fought not to flinch. He hated it when his mother saw him this way. He hated the look that she got on her face. This half angry, half sorrowful look. He hated the fear and anxiety he saw in her eyes. The anger he could take, not the rest. He switched his gaze back to his uncle quickly.

His Uncle Thorin’s face was like stone.  He turned slightly and gestured Dis away. She started to protest but he gave her a single look. She stared back at him just as fiercely. They glared at each other for a moment and then something seemed to pass between them and Dis turned and left without another word.

Kili stood awkwardly to the side and waited for his Uncle’s wrath to fall on him. He flinched when Thorin’s intense, blue eyes locked with his own dark ones.

Slowly he repeated his question, in his deep rumbling voice, that seemed to shake the very ground from under him, “Where. Have. You. Been. Boy?” Kili remembered a time when that rumbling voice would put him to sleep after nightmares, when it would soothe him as he lay on his uncle’s chest, while Thorin read him bedtime stories. It was a long time ago.

As was his custom, Kili refrained from answering. Thorin waited, Kili kept silent. The tension in the room was increasing with every breath they both took. After a while, Thorin shifted tactics in the usual way.

“What were you doing boy?”

As was his custom, Kili still refrained from answering. Thorin waited, Kili kept silent. His Uncle’s anger was palpable. Kili always wondered why he thought that he would ever get another answer.

“Why are you so ungrateful?”

Kili’s head which had been bent for most of the conversation, shot up at the unfamiliar question.

“And do you care nothing for your mother? Must you give her more grief and pain to live with?”

At that Kili flinched sharply, the words cutting deep. He fought to keep his face in control.

“Do you think that we spend our time training you, for you to go out and fight like a vagabond in the streets?”  Thorin continued.

“Have you no sense of responsibility towards your duty? You are to be head of this company. Do you plan to run off fighting then? Do you plan to let it run to the ground and deprive hardworking people of their jobs?”

Kili opened his mouth to argue, rage kindled by Thorin’s earlier statements, but Thorin went on relentlessly.

“And if you have no sense of duty toward the company, then do you have none toward your family? Are you going to cost your mother another son for the sake of your cheap thrills?”

“Shut up!” Kili snarled, at the last jab. Then just as quickly shut his mouth, not quite believing that he had just snapped at his Uncle. Oh they had quarreled before, but he had never told his Uncle to shut up. Even he didn’t quite dare yet. Or hadn’t quite dared yet. That cat was now out of the bag.

Thorin looked as surprised as Kili felt. Then his brow creased with anger. But before he could say anything Kili continued with his moment of advantage.

“You don’t know anything about me!” he said, “And don’t talk about duty to family to me. All you care about is the company. You only care about me because I’m your heir. But you don’t really care. About me or anything I do. All you worry is how it will look on the company’s reputation. I could disappear just like he did, and all you would mourn is the loss of another heir for your company! You don’t know me at all Uncle.  You never have!” His voice shook for the last part.

When he saw his Uncle’s face darken further, he knew he had gone too far. Without waiting for Thorin to say anything, Kili turned around and stalked to his room and slammed the door.

Once inside, away from his Uncle’s wrath, and his pain, Kili allowed himself to show emotion. He let out a shaky sigh, hating the way he could hear the tears within it, and slide down to door to sit on the floor. He spent a long time with his head resting on his arm which was propped up on a knee, just breathing in and out as deeply as possible as he fought to overcome rage or tears. He wasn’t sure which one. Maybe both.  He was so angry and hurt at Thorin but at the same time he felt guilty about what he said.

He knew it wasn’t true. Thorin had been like a father to him. His only father. Albeit a gruff one, but he had always cared for him. He still cared for him. It was the only reason why he hadn’t given up on him yet.  And he also felt guilty about his mother. He knew she would be worried. She was always worried. She tried to keep him safe. She couldn’t afford to lose her only son left. He knew that. And it hurt him, every time, to see her face, when he came back hurt.

Kili took a couple more breaths to steady himself. He really hated himself sometimes. But he knew that if they ever found out what he was doing, they’d ban him from it. Of course, they actually had, but they didn’t know what it was really that they had banned him from.  If they knew, they’d really ban him. And he couldn’t afford to let them know. Couldn’t let them hope. Not when there was every chance for their hopes to be dashed. Besides, they’d tell him to stop, to deal with it. Like they did.

Kili gave a little half choked laugh at that thought. Anyone could see that they were not dealing with it. Had never truly dealt with it. Nineteen years later, and it still dictated a large part of their actions.  The most they had done was force themselves to go through the actions of living. Kili hated it. Hated the fact that he knew they weren’t the people they should be. Hated the fact that he had never in his life, seen those people. That all he had grown up with were shells of people. Oh he knew they loved him, but it was with all the love that hollowed out people could give. He couldn’t hate them for it. Oh it rankled sometimes but he understood. There were days when he felt hollow himself. When he felt like something that should have been there was gone, hadn’t never been there for him.  And it was something that should never be gone. Like air or sunlight.

 He took a deep breath again. Then he levered himself off the floor and promptly blanked his mind, allowing his anger to slide away. Thinking was going to do him no help tonight and neither was anger. He could think and be angry another time. There were things he had to do.

He headed to his little bathroom and peeled off his clothes and inspected his bruises.  He had some spectacular ones all over his abdomen from when the last guy had grabbed him by the hair and punched him several times in the stomach. The skin over his knuckles was split and his cheekbones were bruised and his lips were busted. He sighed again and stepped into the shower.

_Big brother, you really are a lot of trouble._

When he done took out his own first aid kit and treated his injuries with the practiced ease of one who had done so many times.  When that was done, he got his little book out of his secret hiding place and scratched a name off of it. His brother wasn’t there. He looked at the next name on the list and rested the pencil he was using thoughtfully on his lips. He would have to figure out how to get there. From what he had heard, this place was notoriously difficult to find. He sighed and closed his book and stowed it away again. He’d have to get outside help and he knew just who to go to. He only hoped they would help him. His mind made up he dropped into his bed and fell asleep.

Outside, in the living room, oblivious to Kili, his mother sat in one of the couches weeping softly, while his Uncle sat facing the city, wreathed with smoke from the pipe he held in one hand.


	3. Chapter 3

 

Kili woke when the clock awoke him. He and that clock weren’t friends but it saved him from more trouble than he would like, so they had a truce of sorts. He took off the alarm which was cheerfully announcing it was six in the morning and groaned out of bed. He changed and headed down to the training room, as was custom, before doing anything else. It was his routine for as long as he could remember. Erebor Corps. made sure its people were the best. As its heir, he had to be the best. Not that he minded. He usually liked training. Usually. This morning he hurt so much, he didn’t want to see another human being, much less one which was trying to fight him and teach him, all at the same time. No such luck there though.

He entered the training room which was already full of some the other members which Kili had taken to calling the Company.  As he walked in Mister Dwalin, his trainer gave him a stern once over and motioned for him to come. Kili groaned inwardly and went. Dwalin surveyed him more closely and said

“Get your gloves.”

And that was that. Kili fetched his gloves and ran through a long and tiring session with Mister Dwalin, who carefully proceeded to show him everything he did wrong to get the bruises he had. He incidentally landed a few more. But Kili didn’t mind. The fight helped his head clear a little and workout was a great way to work the stiffness out of his body and an equally nice way to start the day. Even if he was hurting more by the time he finished.

But when he was done he sat in a corner of the room, watching the rest of the company practice, while he cooled down and drank a bottle of water and mopped sweat off his face and body.

Master Balin, whom Kili always called Master B. was carefully instructing Ori, the only other youngster in the company besides Kili, how to do a certain stance. Mr. B. was the head advisor and exchequer of Erebor Corps and had had that role from since in Kili’s Great-grandfather’s time. He had white hair and a short white beard.

Working on the punch bags was Ori’s older brother, Dori, who despite all appearances of being a fairly docile soul, was making an impressive dent in those bags.  He had white hair which was a little long and held back in a tight pony tail. As far as Kili knew, his job entailed keeping Erebor Corps. together.  He ensured everyone was on time. Meeting places were scheduled. The meetings themselves were carefully planned. Everyone got the memos they were supposed to. Things like that. They would fall apart inside of a day without him.

In the ring were Bofur and Nori were going at it, grinning at each other through their face masks as they tried to avoid each other’s punches and kicks. Nori was a sneaky fighter, but Bofur was a solid one. It suited their personalities. Nori, older brother to Ori and younger to Dori, was in charge of the surveillance aspect of Erebor Corps. and he was darn good at his job.  Bofur was their figure head. He was the one who met with their clients and made the business deals etc. Uncle Thorin was far too frightening for such work and Bofur had a way of making people feel at ease. In the ring both fighters came to a draw and pulled of their helmets, causing their hair to cascade down. While both of them had long hair they wore it in very different ways. Nori kept his red hair in a ponytail with a small slightly pointed muff on top of his head. He pulled off the look somehow. Bofur kept his shorter hair tightly pulled back in a braid and, when off duty, wore a ridiculous cap over it. Both had close cropped beards and Bofur sported a faint mustache.

Oin, the head of their medical personnel was not practicing but was alternating, keeping an eye on the persons in the room and instructing a new recruit on the ins and outs of Erebor Corps.’ protocol. He had bushy hair, white from age, (‘and grief at having to take care of such ridiculous devils such as you!’ he’d often said) and a short, equally white beard.

Gloin, the fiery red head, and Oin’s brother, who was lifting weights in the corner, was in charge of Erebor Corps.’s Vehicles.

Bomber, Bofur’s brother, and their chief cook was putting in a set of tracks on the treadmill. While many people would look at Bomber and think him unfit because of his rather large size, Kili was not one of those. He had seen the big guy move and it was downright scary when you were in his path. He was an excellent fighter. His skill in the kitchen however, far superseded his skill as a fighter. A fact no one complained about.

Mr. Dwalin, the main trainer for Erebor Corps. was currently now helping Ori in another one of the fighting stances. He was taller than most of the company and was bald with tattoos all over. Kili had thought, and still did, that Mr. Dwalin was scary, despite knowing his heart was in the right place.

Ori, who was a few years older than Kili, although he didn’t look it, was not the most training inclined of them. His skill lay in writing and drawing and he was Mr. Balin’s student and aide. His true job however lay in sketching the schematics of the buildings they were hired to protect. Uncle Thorin always liked to have their own schematics from which they could work and Ori also knew how to draw the buildings from the angles that would be the most helpful. His ginger coloured hair was cut into an unattractive bowl shape, no doubt given to him by Dori. Kili pitied Ori sometimes. He hoped one day that Dori would let up on Ori and let him grow a little.  But then again, he sort of wished for the same thing for himself.

And last, but certainly not least of the company was Bifer, cousin to Bofur and Bomber. Bifer had a knife in his head from an incident since before Kili’s birth. By some miracle he had survived but taking out the knife was far too dangerous. So Bifer remained with it. However speaking seemed difficult for him to do since then and he had started to use sign language instead, which resulted in pretty much everyone on the company learning sign language fluently.  Bifer helped Dwalin with the training and Nori with setting up his equipment.

And well, then there was his mother who sometimes showed up in the training room and terrorized them all. Thankfully she wasn’t here today. Dis took over the entire computer aspect of Erebor’s running from her husband Fain, when he had died. His mother was an excellent hacker. It was the main reason why Kili never left anything of importance on his laptop and wrote down whatever he had to remember and just hid it. If it was on cyberspace, his mother would find it.

Kili took another swig of water from his bottle and was about to get up when Ori came over and sat down next to him. He held out his hand and Kili gave him the bottle. He gingerly wiped off the top of the bottle and drank from it.

“Hey you’re coming with me later?” he asked.

“Later?” said Kili confused.

Ori nodded. “We have a new client so I need to go draw out the building. Mr. Balin said you might go with me.”

Kili looked over to Mr. Balin, who was carefully not looking at him. He turned back to Ori.

“So everyone heard what happened last night huh?”

Ori flushed. “Nori caught it on tape,” he said quietly, “And even if he didn’t, we would have known. You’re bruised up pretty badly this morning, even though you tried not to show it.”

Kili grimaced. “Mr. Dwalin hits hard.”

“But are you okay?” Ori asked, looking worried.

“Yeah sure, I’m fine. Nothing new really,” he said, trying to brush it off. He hated people being worried about him.

“So are you coming?” asked Ori.

Kili nodded. “Sure, I need to get to out of the building anyway. It may be a bit too small to hold me and Uncle today.”

Ori grimaced but nodded.

“Meet me around ten then,” he said and got up and walked off.

Kili levered himself to his feet and walked out the room himself. He tried to ignore the knowing look Mr. B. gave him as he went out.

Kili stole breakfast from the sideboard in the dining room and went up to the roof to eat it in peace.  Then he puttered around doing various things and keeping out of the way of both his mother and his uncle until ten o’ clock arrived and he was legitimately released from the building to accompany Ori.

They drove out to the place, another big name jewelry store, where Kili waited patiently for Ori to draw out each floor in diagram floor and then do each floor in detail. Then draw each one from various angles, etc. While he was drawing, Kili took his own observations of the building, noting where would be the best places for cameras to go, where the guards would have to stand, how fortified the building was, doing mental checks of what they would have to add to make the place properly secure and a hundred little trivial details that his training taught him to take notice of.

Finally Ori announced that he was done. They piled back into the car but instead of going straight back to the headquarters, Kili took the car to the subway where he parked, tossed the keys to Ori and said, “Tell them I’ll be back before dinner.”

“Kili!” said Ori startled as Kili got out of the car, “Wait! You can’t do this! Not so soon! Thorin will have your head! Kili!”

But it was too late. Kili was already inside the subway, pushing his way into the crowd. It was a good time as any to go to his outside help. If he didn’t take this chance now, Uncle just might make it difficult for him to get out of the headquarters.  So he’d take his chances with Uncle’s increased wrath, at least he’d have his information.


	4. Chapter 4

 Kili finally dropped out of the taxi he had taken from the subway and found himself staring at a simple two story building. It was large, wide, and sort of squat but comfy looking. Like the building was always brooding or always super cheerful. It suited its owner. The sign in front of the building simply said, ‘Beorn’s House.’ Which, Kili reflected was a good name for it because in all his years of knowing Beorn’s House, he couldn’t quite figure out what was it that the company called Beorn’s House, really did.

As far as he knew, it was a surveillance company. However they also had a honey farm and he had even picked up bits and pieces that said they also dealt with horses, somewhere or the other and Kili couldn’t figure if one was a front or if they really did all of that and if so, well, Beorn was a little strange.

The story of how he met Beorn was also a long and complicated one and involved a strange, old man, with a long gray beard, in an equally gray bathrobe, who happened, at the time, to be drinking a glass of red wine and smoking. Kili had no idea what possessed him to actually listen to the old man, but hey, he was glad he did.

He entered the building and went over to the secretary who gave him a dirty look. Kili gave him his most charming smile and said, “Hey, I know he doesn’t do things without appointment, but can you just tell him I’m here?”

The smile did nothing to help him, which was pretty fair, since Kili almost never had an appointment. Still, the secretary pressed the intercom and relayed that, one Kili Durin was here. Kili heard the deep voice of Beorn growl out something. The secretary turned back to him and said, “You’ll have to wait, he has a client with him right now. But you’re lucky he has an opening in his schedule today.”Kili nodded, gave another smile for good measure and retreated to the waiting area.

About half an hour passed during which Kili read some of the magazines on the small table there, for lack of anything better to do. He was in the middle of reading something about polar bears and floating gardens when the secretary called him and told him that he would be seen now. Kili got up, nodded his thanks again and went down the familiar hallway and knocked on the door to Beorn’s office. He always knocked; his first visit had taught him that.

Beorn’s by now familiar growl, called for him to come in. When he went in, Beorn looked him up and down and said, “Haven’t seen you awhile cub.”

Kili grinned back at the bear-like man. “I’ve been busy,” he said.

“Ahh, yes, chasing the trail that is too cold, eh?”

Kili nodded and took a seat. “Actually, that’s why I’m sort of here. I need help.”

“You always need help cub,” said Beorn, “You don’t come otherwise. You should drop in for a cup of tea sometimes.”

Kili suppressed a wince, he hated tea. “I’ll, I’ll think about it,” he said.

Beorn nodded and looked pleased. Then he looked Kili up and down again and said, “I heard you won last night, cub.”

Kili grinned. He wasn’t surprised that Beorn knew. His people were everywhere. He said, “Of course I did.” Then upon noticing Beorn’s pointed stare at his bruises, he added quickly, “but I paid for it though.”

“During the fight or after you got home?”

Kili winced. Beorn was probably the only other person who knew what went on in Kili’s life, beside Kili. A fact he found ironic.

“Both,” he replied, “but I need a favor.”

“Of course cub, I thought we acknowledged that already. What is it that you have come to beggar me for this time?” Beorn asked.

Kili ignored the choice of words, leaned back in his chair and said, “I need the location and way of entry for the Dragon’s Den.”

“The Dragon’s Den,” he repeated thoughtfully.

“Yeah,” Kili said, “It’s the last place for me to check in Dale. And I’ve heard from the grapevine that they’ve only recently circled back to Dale. And it’s also a place that does long term ‘investments’ and they were here when it happened. It’s my last shot of finding him before I have to look farther.”

Beorn was silent and then nodded. He pulled out a pad of paper from his desk and scribbled something on it. Then he ripped out the paper and gave it to Kili.

“That’s the address and the way of entry there, cub.”

Kili took it and put it into his jeans pocket.

“Thank you.” He said but Beorn laced his fingers together and rested his chin on them.

“Do you know who owns the Dragon’s Den?” he asked.

Kili shook his head.

“He tried to take over Erebor Corps. once, in your Great grandfather’s time. He is called the Dragon King.”

Kili’s eyebrows rose, “What?” he said.

Beorn nodded. “He was ousted, but it was a close thing.”

“But he must be pretty old now right?” said Kili, ever practical.

Beorn nodded, “But that cub, doesn’t mean he’s weak.  His kin always live long and always are strong.”

“There’s more of them?”

Beorn growled slightly, “Not kin, not really. But men of his type.” He put his arms out the desk and leaned forward and looked Kili in the eyes. Kili tore his eyes away from the arms bulging with corded muscle.

“None walks into any Dragon’s Den without caution, cub. This will not be like any of the places you’ve been to before. The Dragon King keeps only the best.”

Kili narrowed his eyes, “Then he will definitely be there.”

Beorn leaned back and eyed Kili. “You are a stubborn cub,” He said, “but an admirable one. You owe me a favor cub, remember that. Dead cubs do not repay favors and I want my favor.” He jerked his head at the door and Kili got up, bowed and turned to door.

“Cub,” said Beorn from behind him. Kili turned and grinned. He picked up the tiny jar of honey from the desk, thanked Beorn and walked out the office. He nodded to the secretary and headed out the building.

He hailed a taxi and gave instructions to the subway and then settled into the seat, rolling the jar of honey between his palms while he pondered what Beorn had said. Those last few lines…..He’d been telling him to come back alive. In his own way of course.

Kili had long known that Beorn had taken a liking to him, although he hadn’t quite figured it out on his own. It was the employees who, upon discovering that Beorn gave Kili honey, told him that he must really have made an impression. Master Beorn never gave out his honey.

But to tell him to come back alive…..The Dragon’s Den must be something else. Too bad they had never met Kili Durin yet. Kili grinned; he’d give them a run for their money and find his brother. He looked at the jar of honey and then decided, why not. He opened it and started eating.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, some backstory and the reason why Kili is doing all this.

Kili leaned his head on the window of the train, staring unseeingly outside as the scenes outside flashed by. Nineteen years. It had been nineteen years since the ‘big disaster’. It had started with Fili. Fili, his big brother. Fili had been kidnapped when he was just four and Kili was just an embryo in his mother’s womb. Erebor Corps. had searched everywhere. They contacted everyone they knew who might be able to help. They sent out pictures. They had paid for news bulletins but, but Fili had never been found. There had been a set of mass kidnappings in the area around that time. Fili was one of the last children to go. Most likely, the authorities had told them, they had already moved with the children. Still his parents and Thorin and the rest of the Company searched on. But it was to no avail. Fili wasn’t found.

A few months after that, a new tragedy struck his family. His, father, Fain, was killed during a job when some bandits came to raid one of the places they were guarding. His mother had nearly lost it. It was only the thought of her unborn child that helped her to make it through. And then after, it was the thought of her newborn child, whom she had tearfully named Kili, after his brother, and her own brother Thorin, that had helped her to get back on her feet.

And so Kili had grown up among the members of the company, hearing stories about his father from them, because his mother would only get tearful if he asked, and of his older brother, Fili. For some reason, it was the stories of Fili that interested him the most. He supposed he should have been more interested in the ones about his father but Kili had had Thorin as father. And Thorin had very cool stories about him. And also, perhaps the stories of Fili interested him, because it was about someone around his age. But it always felt like more.

Fili was everything Kili was supposed to be. Even from the tender age of four, that was apparent. He was smart, they’d say. Smartest kid we’ve ever seen. Perceptive, Mr. B. had said. It was as if Fili had been born knowing his place in the world and had accepted it and was ready to fill it. He learned fast. He picked out things that other people overlooked.  He had an analytical mind that was to be admired. And he was just four bloody years old!

Kili supposed that having a role model who had out stripped him at the age of four, he was supposed to hate the guy, but he didn’t. You couldn’t. Fili was, Fili was, well, Fili was like sunlight. And that wasn’t just because of his blond hair. No, Fili was like sunlight because when he’d walk into a room, he’d light it up with his smiles and antics. Fili was like sunshine, because he could brighten your day with a few words. Fili was like sunshine because he’d make your worries go away with the simplest, childish logic that somehow made sense. Fili was a sun in his parents’ life. In the Company’s life. And he would have been a sun in Kili’s life. But Kili had never felt those rays. He’d often wondered what it would have been to have a brother like that. Of course, he could have turned out to be a prig and a terribly full of himself brat, who looked down on younger siblings. But Kili couldn’t believe it. Not really. There was something, something when they talked about him, that told him that he wouldn’t have been like that.

In fact, Mr. B. had told him that one of the things that made losing Fili so hard, was the fact that, you could see the type of person he would become. And to lose that. To know that you’d never see it or that it might never come to fruition….Well, “It’s shattering laddie. Losing someone who had so much promise. Losing someone who had made such an impact in so short a time…It’s a hard thing lad.”

Because Fili was a Prince. Because, yes, Uncle Thorin, no matter what anyone said, was a King. Kili well, Kili looked like one of the lesser servants of the King. He didn’t have the kingliness. The majesty. He was just, Kili. He looked like a trouble maker. He was a trouble maker. There was nothing neither prince like or king like about him.

Kili supposed that being so different from Fili; he shouldn’t like him at all. But there was something. It was kinda like that feeling you get, when someone’s telling a really good story, and you feel like you’re actually there. It was something like that. That pull and tug feeling, he would get, whenever he would hear about Fili. Like they were connected in some way. As if on some level they knew and understood each other. Which, quite frankly, was pretty weird. But Kili didn’t question it. He used too, when he was younger, but not now, not anymore. He was looking for his brother and he was going to find him.

Which was where Beorn had come in. Kili didn’t know how his family had missed out Beorn, when they had done a sweep of all the surveillance companies who had been in the area after Fili had been kidnapped, but somehow they had. But Kili hadn’t. Of course, most of that was due to the weird old man. Beorn hadn’t had footage of Fili’s kidnapping, but he had had information about the possibility of the nature of the kidnappers.

Fighting Rings. There were some fighting rings that made, what they called, long term investments. They’d take children and train them how to fight, make them prime fighters. Some rings even had fights among children. The fighting rings were recruiting around the time Fili had gotten kidnapped. Still, most of them had already moved out, by the time he had gone missing, so it was a long shot, to try and find him in one of them. But Kili had been willing to take that ridiculously long shot. He’d been willing to fight his way through every fighting ring he could, hoping to catch a glimpse of his brother. Hoping to find him and bring him home. Because that’s what he was going to do: find his brother and bring him back home. No matter the cost.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scary Dis and a glimpse into the life of an Erebor Corps. team

 

Kili had known he was going to be in trouble, when he realized he was late for dinner. What he hadn’t realized was how much trouble. A fact that had come into extreme clarity, in the shape of his mother,  who was leaning against the doorway of the main entrance into Erebor Corps. Kili stopped dead on the sidewalk, knowing that there was no other entrance he could use, because his mother would have ensured that all were firmly closed. The only way to get in was to go past his mother. Something he was not relishing at the moment. Dis eyed him. Kili felt his already tired legs go weak and then freeze to the floor. In some abstract part of his mind, he was wondering how it was that parents, especially mothers, acquired that super power.

“Kili Durin,” said his mother, “where  have you been?”

Kili floundered for an answer. “To see someone,” he finally managed.

“Someone,” said Dis. Kili flinched at the way she rolled the word around her tongue. “Who, is this someone?”

“A friend,” Kili replied and inwardly winced as he realized that probably wasn’t the best thing to say.

“A friend,” repeated Dis and Kili once more flinched at the way she stretched out the words.  “I see.”

Kili was pretty sure she was seeing the wrong thing but he knew from experience not to speak, unless spoken to. Actually, he still got in trouble for speaking even when she asked him a question. Parents, it was confusing. Kili never understood that part.

“One of your friends that you hang out with at night? One of your friends that you go street fighting with? Perhaps the same friend who had suggested it to you?”

Kili winced at the tone of sure death coming from Dis yet he was unable to do anything more, his mother’s stare having affixed him to that spot on the sidewalk and partially paralyzed him.

“Let me tell you something, Kili. You are not entering this building, until I get a proper explanation from you. And ‘a friend’ is not a proper explanation. Do you understand me?”

Kili nodded.

“Good,” she said. She settled herself back against the doorway and re-crossed her arms. “I’m waiting,” she told him.

Kili stood on the sidewalk and began deliberating what he could possibly tell her. In the end, he settled for what was now his most sure defense, silence. It was probably his most sure way to be killed by his mother too, but Kili didn’t want to lie to his mother anymore that he already did. Besides, he couldn’t think of anything. At any rate, anything that she would believe. And then he’d be in double trouble if he lied to her.

So he stood on the sidewalk, staring at her and she leaned against the doorway, staring at him.  Kili fought to ignore the heavy tension in the air that seemed to increase with each passing second. He had just managed to throw it off, when his eyes, locked into a death glare with his mother’s, perceived the shift in hers. It was subtle, yet, as always, it hit Kili hard. It was that change from anger, to sorrow, to hurt, that her son would not confide in her, would not tell her what drove him so. It was the fear he saw in her eyes, that she’d lose him too and how much pain the thought, caused her. And he couldn’t bear it. He looked away sharply and jammed his hands in his pockets and stood still in the sidewalk with the evening turning to night and the wind, whipping his dark hair around his face, into a tangle, much like his thoughts. He hated that look. Hated seeing his mother, always so strong, break like this, and hated the fact that it was almost always because of him. But he couldn’t tell her. Not yet. Not yet.

Kili didn’t know how much longer they both just stood there, but at last the moment was broken by Uncle Thorin’s voice.

“Kili, come inside. Dis let him in. We have a job tonight and he needs to eat and gear up.”

Kili looked up at his Uncle’s voice and found himself looking into Thorin’s none too pleased face. Thorin’s eyes bore into him for a moment and then he gestured Kili in. Kili nodded and went in silently behind his mother and Uncle.

Two hours later, Kili and the other’s piled out of the company van and entered the premises of Dale’s Première Jewelry Company. It was their shift on the rotation tonight. They got into the building after patiently tapping in the codes on the alarm. Once inside, Thorin quickly took charge, pairing up various members of the Company and assigning them jobs to job for their night long shift. Kili waited patiently for his assignment and his partner, having already guessed what both was going to be. Although, he didn’t quite relish it.

“Kili, you’re with me, we’re on the top floor,” finished Thorin. Kili nodded and picked up his bag and moved together with his uncle, up the stairs, to the top floor, checking out the other floors as they did so.  Once they reached the top floor, they did, as always,  a thorough search of the floor, checked the alarms to ensure they hadn’t been tampered with, checked all of the openings into the room to ensure, their locks hadn’t been tampered with, or forced in any way. When they were satisfied, Kili went to set up his equipment, but Thorin stopped him with a hand on his arm.  Kili winced inside and tried not to show it outwardly. This was the part, tonight that he had been most dreading and had also been hoping for.

Thorin took a deep breath and started to open his mouth but Kili beat him to it.

“I’m sorry Uncle,” he said, “I didn’t mean it, really. I mean, I didn’t mean what I said last night and, and..” He floundered for a second then came up for air with, “And I’m sorry that I ran off today. I know it was very irresponsible of me. And, and that I disappointed you,” he finished quietly.

Thorin exhaled and then said, “Apology accepted lad. I am… I too must also offer apologies. I, I have been concentrating too hard on drilling you to become my heir and I seem to have forgotten that you are my nephew first.  I’m, I’m sorry lad.” He squeezed Kili’s shoulder hard and then let go and Kili nodded.

“Apology accepted Uncle,” he said softly.  Then, to break the awkward moment, he said, “I’m, um, going to set up my equipment now.”

Thorin nodded and Kili fled. He went to the window and opened his bag and began setting up his stand, glad for that part to be over.  ‘That part’ consisted of the apologizing. It was a tradition, apparently started by Kili’s own father ,Fain, which basically said that anybody who was mad at another person was to apologize to them and settle things between them, before or at the start of a job.  It was also one which Mr. B. had whole heartedly approved and Thorin had grudgingly accepted. Especially after Mr. B. had pointed out that having ill feeling between members of a team who were required to support each other and were in potentially hazardous situations, might lead to someone being hurt or even killed, if persons had their minds clouded with anger or were worrying about a quarrel, in a situation where they had to be alert.  For Thorin, his proud Uncle, apologizing was hard, but he still did it. Which was one of the things that Kili always admired in him. For Kili himself, apologizing wasn’t very hard, except of course when he felt he had nothing to be sorry for. But Kili was in fact very grateful for job nights as it had smoothed over more than one very bad quarrel with his Uncle.

Kili shook his head and concentrated on putting together the pieces of his sniper rifle, which had been in his bag, having already set up its stand. Kili was this particular group’s sniper. He was however the best sniper in the entirety of Erebor Corps, not that there were many, snipers apparently being a rare commodity.  But Kili had a natural affinity for it. It was the one thing that he excelled at, having excellent aim and a steady hand. Kili had been trained from small to be a sniper, Mr. Dwalin having recognized his talent early. But although Kili often used a gun on their job nights, he preferred a bow. A bow somehow seemed to fit his hand better and to him was a far deadlier weapon and required more skill. Especially a bow like his Bowtech Assassin, which he absolutely loved, but couldn’t bring to jobs because its arrows would run out faster than his bullets.

Kili finally finished assembling his gun and attached it to the stand and settled behind it as he took up primary viewpoint for the company.  He adjusted his com piece and announced that he was in position.  Behind him, Thorin acknowledged it and went out of the room, and started to patrol the top floor whilst Kili searched through his scope for any potential threat approaching the building. He sighed. It was going to be a long night.


	7. From Fili

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your first look inside Fili's head.

Blood and rage and cold, clear, calculated precision. Strange how those things all mix together. The blood is his, the precision is mine to use to spill his blood, and the rage is mine too. To eat away at me.  It is my blessing and my curse. It is the only thing that tells me I’m still human and not quite the beast, whose name I have taken on. It is what passes for my conscience these days, these years. Long ago, too long for me to remember by any other way than the streaking of blood in front of me, there were other emotions there, there were thoughts there, but there aren’t any more. Only rage has remained. My vile worm that eats me alive every time I hurt someone else. Killing me but saving me from becoming less than human, less than I’ve already sunk, saves me from becoming more numb than I’ve already become.

I hate myself. There’s always cynical laughter in my head every timeI think it. Because I do and because the word hate can’t possibly begin to describe the depth of loathing I hold within myself for myself.  For the way my very soul has been twisted, for the way my precepts, my standards were broken down and these rotting pillars built up instead. They kill me but only by feeding them can I survive. I hate myself for the dark, broken, hard, merciless, creature I’ve become, when once, I knew, I knew that I’d been different, that I’d once cared, could care. But now I’m nothing more than a killing machine with only self-hate to keep me from stepping over the line.

But that won’t be for long. Because I love the way it feels when my muscles ripple under my skin, under my perfect control. I love the way it feels when my fist buries itself in flesh. The sick satisfaction I get when I finish a fight in the smallest number of blows possible. And these days, I can’t even hate myself for feeling that way. I’m fighting but I’m fighting against the best fighter I know: myself.  And soon enough I’ll can’t even hate myself anymore and then I’ll cross the line and become the monster. And the Beast will have me on a chain. I’ll become the Dragon’s. For his fire will have devoured me at last and I’ll be myself no longer, and I won’t even care.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kili enters the Dragon's Den.

A few days later Kili found himself walking down the dark, underground corridor, leading to the main ring of the Dragon’s Den. As usual, Beorn’s information was correct. It was easy to find the location of the Dragon’s den and, since he had the way of entry, easy to get in. It was in fact easier to get into the Dragon’s Den than it had been to get out of Erebor Corps. A fact Kili couldn’t help but appreciate the irony of. However he had managed to make his escape, all the while cringing, because he knew Thorin was going to be mad at him again and he had had a few days of peace with his Uncle. However, the Dragon’s Den was having one of its fight nights today, so he’d had to go.

Kili exited the corridor and entered into the blaring lights and sounds that were a part of every fighting ring. When he had gotten used to the glare, he stood back and studied the place. He was on the top metal walkway which surrounded the Den. Stairs led down to the actual fighting ring. The Dragon’s Den really wasn’t like the other rings. For one, it was much larger. Secondly, it had carpet on its floor. Thirdly the betting process was much smoother. And lastly, the fighters going at it in the ring were of a much higher caliber than he was accustomed to. Kili watched the fight for a moment and then descended the stairs towards the screaming, cheering mob. AS soon as his feet hit the carpet he was approached by the Ring’s betting managers. Kili shook his head. He wasn’t interested in betting although he might have earned a fortune by now if he had betted. Being a fighter himself, he could measure the strengths of fighters very well and so it was easy for him to know who was most likely to win.

Fighting rings made money in two ways: the entry fees and the second and most lucrative, betting. The simplest way was that the fighting ring would bet for its own fighters and people could bet against them, for the outside fighters. Then people could bet between themselves but the ring must get a certain percentage of the winnings. Thus a profit was almost always made.

Kili got into the crowd and by dint of much pushing got to somewhere near the front. He eyed the boards and noted that this was the second semi-final of the match blocks tonight. There was only the final to go after this match. His attention was drawn back to the ring when one of the opponents cried out. The other fighter quickly moved in and soon the man was unconscious. The referee stepped into the ring and grabbed the winner’s arm and lifted it into the air. The crowd screamed in appreciation or anger. The fighter roared with victory. Then the fighter was lead off the ring and into a waiting room, somewhere inside the complex. Around Kili, people went berserk as they tried to place their bets for the next fight. Kili was hard-pressed to keep from being pushed down and from losing his place up front. But he was used to the crowds and even managed to wiggle a little closer to the ring. He eyed the board where the names of the final fighters were flashing. Death’s Fists and Lion Prince. The name ‘Lion Prince’ was flashing in gold, cueing him in that Lion Prince was a fighter owned by the Dragon’s Den.  Kili took a deep breath in and settled in to wait for the fight to begin so he could get a good look at this Lion Prince.

He had learned long ago to never be overly hopeful or too impulsive. He had seen many blue eyed and blond haired fighters. There weren’t actually that many blonds in Dale, but fighting rings recruited from all over so their fighters were always varied. It had made Kili’s job a bit harder.

Finally a bell sounded through the room, signifying that all betting was over; the fight was about to begin. The announcer jumped into the ring and began hyping up the already hyped crowd.

“Hey!!!!!!!!!!!” he yelled, “You all ready for a fight tonight?!”

“Yeah!!!!!” half the crowd yelled back, while, to Kili’s surprise, the other half yelled no.

“No??!!!” screamed the announcer, skipping around the ring. “No?!!”

“NO!!!!!” yelled back that half of the crowd while the other people looked at them confused.

“That’s ma’ people!!!” screamed the announcer. “To them people who said yes, it’s the Lion Prince who’s fighting tonight! You all ready for a fight or m***** f****** beatdown???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

The crowd caught on and screamed with bloodlust. Loud, blaring music came on and from the waiting room the Lion Prince came out.

The first thing Kili really noticed was the way he moved. Unlike like most fighters who came out, pumped up and rearing to go, the Lion Prince strode down the walkway calmly. Kili could understand why the called him the Lion Prince. He moved like a big cat who is taking a stroll in his territory and knows that he has nothing to fear because nothing would dare challenge him here. He walked like he owned the place.  You could feel the smugness, the condescension, the confidence, the contempt, the charisma, roll off of him as he approached the ring. Kili felt it penetrate the crowd and infect them.  The Lion Prince slipped between the ropes and stalked into the middle of the ring. The crowd roared its appreciation.

Kili got his first good glimpse of the Lion Prince that wasn’t obstructed by people’s heads or arms. He had gold blond hair, reminiscent of the animal he had taken his name after. It fell in a pony tail, almost to mid-back. He had the faintest hint of stubble on his chin. He also had a chiseled jaw line and a bit of a large nose. In fact his appearance was faintly reminiscent of Uncle Thorin’s. Kili would have thought that this Lion Prince could be Fili except for one thing. His eyes.

Oh, they were blue alright. The right kind of blue too. They were blue and soulless and cold and filled with a hatred that Kili couldn’t fathom. There was darkness there too. A twisted, rotten darkness with strands of cynicism wrapped around and through it. And all of it was framed by a cool, calculating consciousness.

When Kili had looked into his eyes, he had felt like he punched in the gut. All the air in his body either left him or froze in his lungs. He didn’t know which. He had never met someone who was like that. He instantly discounted any idea that this Lion Prince could be Fili. He could never be. Fili, Fili was bright and noble. Fili was sunshine. Fili was good. He could never be this twisted, cynical man, who held not a trace of mercy or remorse in his eyes. Who had not a spark of light left in him or a hint of kindness. This was a man who was bred for destruction and had made his breeder proud. There was nothing like Fili in him at all.

The Lion Prince stood watching the crowds dispassionately. Then he lifted his head and let out a snarl. The crowd roared even louder but the Lion Price whirled fluidly and stalked to a corner where he leaned against the ropes, crossed his arms and waited for his opponent to come out.

Death’s Fists came out of the waiting room, punching the air and yelling threats. The crowd roared in response. He ran up the short walkway to the ring and vaulted over the ropes and landed perfectly in the middle and roared. The crowd went even wilder. Then Death’s Fists went to his corner and both he and the Lion Prince, who hadn’t moved from his position, leaning against the ropes, waited for the referee.

The announcer came and called both of them forward. The Lion Prince lazily rocked himself off the ropes and went forward. Death’s Fists stalked forward like he had a soul to collect for death himself. The announcer spoke to both of them briefly, quietly, most likely telling them over the sparse rules of underground ring fighting and then sent them back to their corners. Then he stepped outside and yelled:  “Fight!” The crowd roared and the two opponents began to circle each other.

They stepped warily for a few steps around the rings and the Kili saw Death’s Fists’ muscles tense and begin to bulge. D.F. leapt forward, closing the distance between him and the L.P. His hands snapped forward as he launched into a combination of jabs, crosses and elbow strikes. The L.P. had his hands up in an instant and he blocked the first blow and then dodged the rest with an ease that made D.F.’s attack look ridiculous. D.F. didn’t seem to be daunted. He feinted to the right and gave a vicious left hook to the L.P.’s face. The L.P. slapped away D.F.’s hook and stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding a right cross from D.F. He found himself abruptly with the ropes on his back.

D.F. grinned; sure now that he had the L.P. on the ropes it would be easy to take him down.  To Kili’s surprise, the Lion Prince didn’t watch D.F. but looked over his head. Kili turned to see what he was looking at. His eyes fell on the large digital clock behind the crowd that was timing the fight. The fight was only 30 seconds in. He snapped his head back around in time to see the Lion Prince duck under D.F.’s jab, faster than he had ever moved throughout the fight, and then his right hand struck D.F. and blew the rest of his guard right open. To Kili the rest seemed to go in slow motion. He watched as the L.P’s left fist connected with D.F.’s side and he heard the sound of the man’s ribs breaking. D.F. let out a choking, wheezing sound and staggered backward.  The L.P. came up from his crouch, his guard up and then he simply took a step forward and smashed his fist into D.F.’s face. Death’s Fist’s head snapped back with brutal force and like before, Kili heard when his jaw broke. The man fell backward but the Lion Prince reached out and grabbed him by his t-shirt. He pulled him closer, so that he could have a better look. He shook him slightly to see if he was unconscious and then, when seeing he was, flung him across the ring.

The announcer came, screaming incomprehensible things. He grabbed the Lion Prince’s hand and raised it up to show that he was the victor. Other people came up onto the ring and began to move the unconscious fighter from the ring. Another man though came up onto the announcer and whispered something to him. The announcer nodded and yelled through his microphone.

“Good news folks! The boss has decided that the last fight was too short for your entertainment. He wants me to make a house call!!!!! So which one of you wants to go up and fight the legendary Lion Prince!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

 Kili sucked in a breath. This was his chance. This was what he’d been waiting for. What he came for. See fighting rings sometimes make ‘house calls’ where someone from the audience gets to come and fight the top fight for the night. If they win they get the prize for the night. Sometimes they just have you come straight in the ring or other times they use the intimidation tactic and stick you both in the same waiting room. The intimidation tactic though, worked in Kili’s favor. It helped him to determine in the fighter could possibly be Fili, if he thought that there was a possibility. He honestly didn’t think, that the Lion Prince was Fili, didn’t want to think it, but house calls were also were good way to integrate oneself into the ring.

“Me!!!!” shouted out Kili.  He pushed past the few people in front of him and leapt up onto the edge of the ring, holding on to the ropes.

“We got a fighter folks!!!” screamed the announcer. He came over and pushed down the tops for Kili. Kili slipped between the ropes and just like that, he was into the ring.

“What’s your name kid?!” asked the announcer. But people in the crowd had already begun to recognize him. Kili wasn’t surprised. Many of these people had frequented the rings he had fought at before.

“Black Mane! Black Mane!” they started chanting.

“Black Mane,” Kili told him. When he had first started off in the rings, he had gone by a title of his ancestor, The Undying but the ring fans had re-named him Black Mane, most likely in part to his wild hair that always came loose no matter what he did.

“BLACK MANE!!!!!!!!!!!” bellowed the announcer. The crowd screamed in appreciation. Kili spread his arms out and made a small circle, shouting back to the crowd. Then he shrugged off his jacket, threw it outside the ring, and pulled out his MMA gloves from his pocket and drew them on, trying to ignore the cool gaze of the Lion Prince once more leaning in the corner watching the proceedings with his lazy, detached way. But Kili knew he was anything but inattentive.

He finished with his gloves and the announcer called them together and briefly touched on the rules. Kili nodded and tried not to look at the Lion Prince, even though he knew it was inevitable.  Then they were sent back to their corners and the announcer yelled for the match to start. Kili steeled himself, feeling the familiar mix of fear, anticipation and delight, churn in his stomach, and stepped forward, his hands held up in the traditional guard position. The Lion Prince did the same and Kili found himself staring into merciless, blue eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight!

 

 _I will win. I will win. I will win._ Those were Kili’s thoughts as he stepped forward, toward the Lion Prince. The Lion Prince attacked first. It was faster than he had ever moved in the last fight with Death’s Fists. Either he had decided that Kili was a bigger threat or he just didn’t like him. Kili barely dodged the blow. _I will lose gracefully._ The thought came as an instant response to the attack, to his strategic mind’s calculations of what a jab that fast meant in relation to him.

 _No! No, I will win!_ He refuted the thought even as he dodged another lightning fast jab. He heard the whoosh of the air as the Lion Prince’s fist just barely missed his ear. Kili snapped back into position after dodging, only to see L.P.’s other fist come straight at his guard. He braced himself and waited, sure his guard was either going to be blown open or his arms were going to snap. Neither happened. He received a stinging blow to his arms, his body rocked back, but his guard stayed intact. Despite the pain, Kili grinned. This Lion Prince was a hard hitter, but he was nothing next to Mr. Dwalin. Nobody, in Kili’s private opinion, could hold a candle up to Mr. Dwalin. He saw the fraction of surprise on the Lion Prince’s face, before Kili lashed out with a blow of his own, while his guard was open from the missed blow, and hit him in the face.

L.P. rocked back but regained his balance quickly. As Kili stepped forward, L.P. feinted to the right and Kili got whacked to the side with a roundhouse kick, that knocked the air out his lungs and it felt like his liver, kidneys, and stomach followed. He was knocked off his feet and flew and crashed into the ropes. He was sure his ribs would’ve been broken if he hadn’t dropped his arm in time to shield his side. He dropped to the floor, took a few precious seconds to breathe and then spun on the floor to face the L.P. He set his toes on the floor and pushed forward. The Lion Prince side stepped his tackle but Kili flung out his arm and caught his back leg. He tugged hard. That and his momentum tugged the L.P. to the floor. They ended up in a tangled heap. Kili went breathless again from having 100+ pounds fall on him. But he kept his head. If he had survived Bomber tackling him, he could survive this. He quickly churned his arms and legs, causing him to rotate under the Lion Prince. Kili grabbed one of his arms and stretched it back. However before his legs could wrap around the other one and complete the grappling hold, the Lion Prince rolled. He rolled over Kili’s head and kept going. Kili was pulled over him, courtesy of his grip on L.P.’s arm and the L.P. tugged hard on the arm Kili was still holding and Kili was lifted off of him, into the air and then his back slammed hard on the ring floor. His head snapped back cruelly and bounced a few times on the ground. His world spun, but Kili was used to such blows. He wasn’t the heir of Erebor Corps. for nothing.  He freed his arm and rolled away.  He almost went out of the ring but he grabbed one of the ropes and used his momentum to rock himself back toward the middle. He let go of the rope and came up on one knee. He took one step and was back on his feet, facing the already upright L.P. 

This time he didn’t wait. He moved forward, throwing a flurry of jabs, interspaced with crosses, hooks and kicks. The L.P. blocked and dodged but was apparently being driven towards the ropes. Soon he was at the ropes and he stayed there for a moment, his body rocked by the blows, but then it came. The moment when, fast as he’d been all night, he moved faster. But Kili was ready.  They ducked together. For an instant, in the moment when they were both moving in the curving motion of the duck, their eyes locked and held and Kili was once more blown away by the coldness, the hardness, the anger in those blue eyes. But this time he didn’t freeze. They came up in sync but Kili’s leg muscles bunched and he pushed up harder than the L.P. The Lion Prince returned into his fighter’s crouch but Kili shot into the air. He lifted his arm and his hand came down in a forceful hammer punch. L.P. reacted a second before Kili’s punch landed; throwing up his hands over his head. Yet still, the blow drove him down on one knee.

Kili landed back on the mat, only for the L.P. to hit his left knee with the heel of his hand. The leg shot out from under him and Kili found himself falling toward the L.P _. Oh no,_ were his only thoughts. He tried to get his arms up but the blow connected solidly with his face. Kili flew backward, landed hard and almost skidded out the ring. He grabbed the ropes again but more than half his body was outside. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.

He could feel people in the crowd, alternately try to push his feet back in or pull him out, depending on who they were cheering for. He kicked savagely and got rid of either side. He pulled his legs back in but his luck had run out. The L.P. grabbed his legs, dragged him across the floor, tugging his arms free of the ropes. When they reached somewhere in the middle, he lifted Kili’s legs and whipped them down hard. Kili’s body rippled like a piece of rope and his head lifted off the floor and then slammed back with so much force, Kili couldn’t even think to register the level of pain. The lights above the ring dimmed and then came back way too bright. Then they seemed to be spinning around him in a psychedelic fashion.

Kili tried to move but his arms didn’t listen to him for a moment. A moment that cost him. He felt a hand fist into his jersey and then he was being lifted off of the floor. The next blow rocked his head back again. And the other. And the other. After the third blow, Kili got his arms up. The fourth blow slammed his guard open but Kili pulled it back in place in time to block from the fifth. He locked his arms in place, his only thought being of survival. Somewhere in the rain of blows, Kili remembered he had legs. He lifted one foot and tried to hook it around the Lion Prince’s lead leg and throw him off balance. It didn’t work. Instead the L.P. shifted, wrapped his own lead leg around Kili’s left leg and then dropped.

Kili screamed. For a second his mind was filled with impossible pain and his vision actually filled up black spots. It was a wonder his leg hadn’t snapped. But now the Lion Prince had Kili pinned underneath him and was using both hands now. Kili’s guard didn’t stand a chance. Blows rained down and his arms lost whatever strength they had left. Oddly enough, it was in these moments when Kili heard the crowd, when he hadn’t heard them throughout the fight. They cheered or screamed encouragements or just yelled. None of it helped him. His arms were flung out and up, as his guard broke. He didn’t even have a moment to realize how much trouble he was in before trouble hit him in the form of several, almost bone shattering blows. Kili felt his mouth burst further and the tang of blood spread afresh.

Then the blows stopped and Kili felt his jersey being gripped again and he was lifted half off of the floor. He focused and his vision cleared for that moment, in time for him to see the Lion Prince looking at him, his right hand drawn back and cocked behind his head and Kili knew, he _knew_ this one would break bone. He didn’t even have the strength to put on a brave show. He felt more vulnerable, more scared and alone, than he ever had before and he knew it showed on his face. Their eyes locked and he waited for the Lion Prince’s fist to descend but he hesitated. It was probably only for a second but the second stretched out for Kili and in that second he saw something he didn’t expect to see. He had expected to see coldness and contempt in the eyes of the Lion Prince, and they were there. But something else was there too. For a moment he thought he saw regret, he though he saw softness, a bare hint of kindness and an I-don’t-want-to-do-this-ness. Then the Lion Prince’s fist descended and Kili blacked out.


	10. Inside My Head: Otherwise.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your second look inside Fili's head. Enjoy!

The water is cold and clear as it runs over my shaking, busted hands. I had expected it to help clear my mind, to strip away these strange feelings, to calm my mind. But it didn’t.  Instead watching my hands, streaming blood from my battered knuckles, I am reminded of what I want to forget. I am reminded of that moment. Of him. Why did I hesitate? I know why. But why is that why there? I have seen the same look in the eyes of many others and have only felt contempt or nothing at all. But why? Why did that scared, lonely, vulnerable look in his eyes, on his face, tear at me so? Tear at my heart as if trying to reach something below its frozen surface? I shifted my hands under the water and more blood streams out and I am reminded that I bruised my hands so on him and once again that same feeling of disgust and self hate, roils up. I clench my fists under the water and this time, go over the moment deliberately. The point where his vision clears and he recognizes his predicament. The look of despair when he knows, that I am going to break something. The vulnerable look, the fright, as it plays about his expression-able face and then, the loneliness. The loneliness that echoed out further than that moment in the ring. I wouldn’t have cared. I don’t care. But for some reason, even now as I replay it, something about the way he looks makes me feel, well, bad. There is harsh, cynical laughter in my head. A kid, making me feel bad about hitting him, when he’d asked for the fight in the first place. And a kid he was. He knew nothing of the world. But he was a good fighter. He’d lasted longer than I’d expected. And that, that was the only reason I’d pulled my last punch. A token of my appreciation. There was no other reason, even if my messed up head was trying to tell me otherwise.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Kili awoke hurting. It wasn’t the first time he had done so but honestly, it’s not like pain ever not hurts. He tried to open his eyes properly but found the most he could manage was a small slit. His eyelids didn’t, couldn’t open further due to the swelling. Kili turned his head carefully, trying to gauge where he was and what time it was. It was still dark, thankfully, meaning he hadn’t been out for long and it appeared that he was sitting in the alley outside of the underground entrance for the Dragon’s Den.  Darn the ground was hard! Kili tried to get up, only to sit back down hard. His body didn’t feel like obeying him at the moment. He let out a small groan and quickly tried to stifle it.

“Easy,” said a voice. Kili turned his head a fraction more to see a dark figure standing next to him, a cigarette in one hand, blowing smoke out leisurely. He instantly tensed and studied the figure. Finally he asked:

“Beorn?” he croaked.

The man nodded. Kili sighed and relaxed. The man was one of Beorn’s employees. After a few moments the man stubbed out his cigarette and stooped down next to Kili and lent him a hand. With much struggling, and much pain on Kili’s part, they managed to get Kili upright. The world swam and did a Mexican wave in front of his slitted eyes and every part of him felt like it was tearing apart, while on fire. Even the marrow in his bones hurt. Altogether he felt like Mr. Dwalin had strung him up and used him as a punching bag. Okay, no, not that bad. But still.

Together they hobbled out of the alleyway, down several streets and finally came to a major road where they stood; waiting for a taxi to carry Kili back to the waiting, axe wielding hands, of Erebor Corps. Being that this would be the worst he’s ever come home, his head was sure to roll. Kili gritted his teeth while they waited in an attempt to not let a single noise of pain emit from his lips. Finally after ages, a taxi came and Kili was duly bundled into it and the driver paid triple for the state of the blood-covered Durin.

In sharp contrast, the trip to Erebor Corps. was rather short. A fact Kili did not like one bit, but at the moment was starting not to care. All he wanted to lie down in his bed, take a mountain of pain killers and go to sleep and wake up in the morning with absolutely no pain. It was a nice dream and had not a chance of coming true but Kili basked in it for the few moments of life it had, before reality shot it in the back.

He didn’t bother to sneak in this time. He had no energy. He walked into the front doors, took the elevator to the top suite, stepped out and promptly collapsed at his Uncle’s feet. All he heard was a startled gasp of “Kili!” from his mother and an equally startled grunt from his Uncle before he lost unconsciousness for the second time that night.

 

* * *

 

 

When Kili awoke a second time, he was only hurting a little less. But this time he was lying in his own soft bed and apparently encased in bandages. Oin was snoring in a chair next to his bed. Kili winced internally. He hadn’t meant for the old doctor to stay up the rest of the night watching over him. He wondered why they had bothered when he knew for a fact that Thorin, if not his mother, would really have his head this time. There was no saving from this.

He attempted to get up. Only to fall back onto the bed groaning in pain. Darn! He was feeling every individual bruise! Oin, startled awake by his groan said, “Stay down laddie!”

Kili, for once in his life complied. For approximately five seconds. Oin was struggling to push him back down a second time when he heard his Uncle’s voice.

“Kili.”

Kili froze and turned his head carefully to see Thorin standing in the doorway. His blue eyes bored into him and melted any courage he may have had. Kili flopped back onto the bed. This was it. He was dead.

Thorin entered the room properly and stalked over to the bed. Kili glanced away from  not wanting to see what might be on his Uncle’s face, be it anger, disgust or even perhaps pain. He waited for him to speak and was surprised when he didn’t. The awkward silence lasted for as long as Kili could bear it before he turned to look at Thorin. Thorin’s face was carefully devoid of emotion. Kili stared at him, at a loss of what to do before he realized that Thorin was waiting for him to speak. 

Kili had no words. He had nothing to explain himself just as all the other times. He stared helplessly at Thorin and wondered why he didn’t just yell at him, or have his head or disown him and throw him out in the streets. Thorin said nothing. Kili opened his mouth several times, as if just by doing that, the right words would just jump out of his mouth, but none came.

Finally he managed to croak out, “I’m sorry,” and turned his head away.

“Sorry?” Thorin’s voice rolled over the room like a soft thunder, thorough and exacting in its wrath.

“You turn up here, half beaten to death. You collapse at my feet and your mother’s. You have Oin stay up all night and you have the gall to say you’re sorry?”

“I am!” Kili protested, as much as his busted mouth let him. He would have said more but Thorin cut him off.

“Kili!”

Kili shut up. Thorin took a deep breath, then after a moment of strangling silence, “I have nothing more to say to you. You aren’t worth it.” Then he turned and left. Kili stared after him blankly as the words registered and then he shut his eyes and turned his head away as the pain hit. He swallowed thickly several times but the pain left by his uncle’s words didn’t go away. He had never expected Thorin to actually admit it, to say out loud that Kili was worthless.

There was movement and then Kili felt one of Oin’s hands settle onto his forehead. “Don’t mind him laddie,” the old doctor told him, “He nary means a word of it. He was just worried for you. Paced up and down the hallway all night.”

Kili doubted it. “Just go away!” he managed to say. He knew it was rude and Oin had patched him up but he didn’t want anyone to be here with him right now. To his surprise, Oin withdrew without another word.

He waited until the door closed behind him before he opened his eyes and took several deep, gasping breaths that made his lungs swear at him. He had never thought it would hurt so, to hear his Uncle say that to him. He swallowed hard again and again trying to get rid of the lump in his throat but it didn’t work. So instead Kili ruthlessly turned his thoughts away from everything that had just happened and focused on something else. Albeit it was the very same thing that had gotten him into this position but it was better than the alternative. Kili focused on the fight with the Lion Prince.

He went over the fight in his mind move by move and analyzed it; seeing which moves he should have used instead, which ones he should have executed better, trying to figure out what had happened in the times when he wasn’t in a state to understand what was happening. H also analyzed the Lion Prince’s style and had to, even in retrospect, respect the man’s strength and skill. He was a damn good fighter and, since he had lost to him, definitely better than Kili. But as Kili analyzed his skill, he also realized that the gap between them wasn’t insurmountable. Besides his defeat also gave a Kili a reason to go back. They would take his fights as him trying to redeem himself and fighting rings loved that stuff. They might give him chances over other crowd fighters.  It gave him a chance to continue looking for Fili.

Kili focused on the Lion Prince himself again. He certainly had the features of Fili but as before, Kili shot down any thought that he might have been Fili. His personality wasn’t that of anything like the child which had disappeared. He was too cold, too ruthless to be Fili. Then his mind flashed back to that second before he had blacked out, to that moment where he had seen that slight hint of kindness in cold, contemptuous eyes. Kili shook his head slightly and then groaned from the pain. He must have imagined it. There was nothing kind about that man. He let out another groan again when his head wouldn’t quit hurting and then suddenly realized something. His jaw. His jaw wasn’t broken. He had sworn, he had known, that the Lion Prince was going to beak bone in his last blow. But his jaw was intact and so, as far as he could tell was the rest of his face. Kili frowned. Why wasn’t something broken? Why did the Lion Prince pull his last punch? His frowned deepened. Well that was something he’d have to ask him then wouldn’t he?

Kili contemplated that for a few more seconds before a particular bodily function demanded his attention. Kili groaned with annoyance. Dammit! He had to use the bathroom and there was no way he was getting there on his own. Not in time at least.  Just then the door opened and a head poked itself in hesitantly.

“Ori!” Kili cried gratefully.


	12. Chapter 12

It took Kili about two weeks before he was able to move in a smooth, functional manner. Due to that though, he wasn’t able to go on any jobs for the company and hence, there was no forced apologies to smooth anything over. So Uncle Thorin was still mad at him and Kili wasn’t feeling very forgiving either. It was a very tense, terse, nerve-racking two weeks and it was probably what made Kili, out of sheer will-power, heal as fast as possible. Finally though Oin cleared him for duty and he was allowed to go out with the Company on their next rotation.

As usual, Kili was placed on the top floor with Thorin, so he could have the best scope field. The apologies this time had consisted of: “I’m letting you off the hook time, Kili.” Followed by Kili’s

“Yes, Uncle. Sorry Uncle.” And that was that. Then Thorin left to patrol the rest of the floor.

Kili hunkered down next to his sniper rifle, slowly scanning the area outside, trying to ignore the pain that still coursed through his body and mentally preparing himself for another long boring night.

It was perhaps two hours later when Kili saw the first indication that this wasn’t going to be another long boring night out.  It was a hint of movement just on the edge of a patch of shadow outside the building. Kili frowned and focused on it but saw nothing afterwards. He took his eye away from the scope shook his head a bit and returned to looking back through the scope. Nothing else moved for awhile and Kili thought he must have imagined it. Then it happened again. Just the barest hint of movement along another dark stretch. Kili once more focused on it but nothing else moved. Kili frowned again and narrowed his eyes. Once, yes, he could probably pass it off as his imagination but twice? No. No, because a third time might be too late for him to do anything.  He began to methodically check all the dark shadows around the building and though he didn’t get a view on any solid figures, he had the feeling that figures were moving just out of sight before he centered on them.

Kili quickly put his hand to his comm. and called out an alert.

“Possible movement around the building. Many targets. No clear view but multiple minor sightings. Most likely hostile. I repeat. Possible movement around building. Alert.”

Instantly his comm. was filled with acknowledgements and then his Uncle was telling him to get a confirmation sighting. He acknowledged and then tuned out the sound of Thorin giving orders to the rest of the group.  Kili risked it and left his scope for a few seconds to get his night vision binoculars from his bag and then peered through it out into the darkness. Now there was nothing.

“No visual from the front of the building,” he reported. It was acknowledged and then he heard Nori saying that he had no visual from the rear of the building either. They all stayed there in this half tense state of readiness for over an hour but nothing happened. There was no more movement in the shadows. In fact there was barely any movement around the building at all.

Kili rolled his neck and put down the binoculars and then stood gingerly from where he had been crouching peering at the dark and returned to standing by his sniper scope. He had just begun to sweep the scope across the perimeter once more when his eye caught a gleam of light from the next building across the road. He had one second to figure out what it was and dive for the floor before the shot from the next sniper rifle whistled through the glass and sliced through the air where Kili’s head had been but half a second before. Kili hit the floor hard and groaned in pain. Instantly alarms were wailing throughout the building and Kili’s comm. was filling up with queries.

“Sniper!” he gasped, “Next building!” He rolled away from the window, waited a few moments and then dived for his own sniper rifle. He got it and rolled to the other side of the window. He tried to lean out to get a clear shot but another shot whistled painfully close to where he was. Kili cursed, then mentally hoped Thorin hadn’t heard it. He poked his head out a fraction again but another shot sounded. Only this time it wasn’t aimed at him. Kili peered as much as he could out of the window and saw many figures in black starting to swarm the compound while more suddenly roared up on motorcycles.  Kili cursed again. Their sniper was pinning down the company while the others got into the building. He had to take down that sniper! But he couldn’t get a clear shot at the man from anywhere else but this window.

That left nothing for it. Kili lifted the butt of his gun and smashed the window. More alarms blared and Thorin’s voice roared in his ear asking what that was.

“Nothing!”  Kili called back.  

Taking care, he yanked a particularly large shard of glass from the window. Then he used his gun to pull his stand towards him. Several shot were fired at his stand and though one did hit it, it didn’t impair its functionality. In fact the dent it made was quite handy for Kili to wedge the piece of glass in the stand. Below him, he could hear the sounds of a firefight beginning as apparently the burglars got in through the front doors. When he was sure the glass was secure he righted the stand in front of the window and waited. When no more shots at the stand occurred, Kili grinned and positioned himself.  He slid his gun carefully out the now broken, floor to ceiling window, keeping himself out of sight and, watching the glass on his stand, he pinpointed the dull gleam of the light along the sniper’s gun. He set his crosshairs a little behind and slightly above, calculated for minor movement and wind, and then shot.  With the noise going on below Kili couldn’t hear if his shot had made it so he waited a few moments and then cautiously stuck his head out and looked through his scope. Then he grinned. There in the next building, slumped over his gun, was the other sniper. He did a quick check of the other opposite buildings to ensure there were no more hidden snipers and then he set to work picking off the guys who were outside their building.

Judging from what he was hearing through the comms, the attackers were stagnated at the front door as the company was valiantly holding them back. Kili spoke through his comm. to tell them the sniper was disabled and then he went back to work disabling the men who were trying to enter the building. Once the men realized that the sniper inside the building was still up and active they began to fall back.  Kili still had to duck a few pot shots at him and shoot at least two people in the leg, who had tried to run across the road and into the other building to take up the dead sniper’s post.  Things were going great and they were close to completely repelling the attack when a white motor cycle rolled up the road with a huge, hulking man on it. The man pulled off his helmet, shouted something at his people and then swung his shotgun, that he had pulled out from somewhere, and pointed it at his own people. But that wasn’t what gave Kili pause. It was the white skin and hair and the glinting red eyes behind the horrific mask that the man wore. It was a figure straight out of a scary childhood story and several resulting nightmares. Kili suddenly realized who these men were.

“O.R.C.S.!!!” He yelled into his comm.. “Uncle, they’re O.R.C.S.!”

“What!” came his Uncle’s returning bellow. “Why do you say so?!”

“Because I’m seeing him,” said Kili. “I’m seeing the Pale Orc!”

“You can’t be!” said Thorin hoarsely, “He’s dead!”

“Looks pretty alive for a dead guy!” Kili shouted back as he returned to disabling the O.R.C. Invaders.

“But Thorin!” came Balin’s voice. “If they are O.R.C.S…….”

There was a moment of horrified silence. Then at the same time Thorin said: “The roof,” Nori’s voice came in frantically:

 “They’ve zip-lined onto our roof!”

Above him, Kili heard the sounds of feet landing on the roof. He cursed and once more hoped Thorin didn’t hear it.

“Kili get down from the top floor!” Thorin ordered him.

“But if I move, they’ll get in through the front door!” Kili protested.

“Move!” Thorin bellowed at him. “We’re holding the ground floor.”

“But even so we’ll be trapped inside!” Kili shouted back.

“Listen to me!” Thorin growled back at him.

That sealed it. Kili lifted his gun and stand and ran into the hallway of the top floor and set them up in the direction of the of the roof exit. Then he ran back into the room pushed the large desk that probably belonged to the manager, out into the hallway in front of his equipment to give him some cover, reloaded and settled down to wait.

He most certainly didn’t have to wait long. Luckily for him, the corridors weren’t very wide and that was exactly what he was banking on, for this plan to work. They came out of the far gloom, into the semi-dark hallway, with the red lights flashing continuously as the alarms continued to blare. They were moving in pairs and Kili had the first three ORCS down before they even realized what was going on. They came to a screeching halt which gave Kili the chance to pick out two more before they tried to retreat a bit to get a better place to return fire. Kili got like four more before he frantically reloaded. The ORCS took that time to get the retreating order properly relayed back along the lines and also to return fire Kili ducked behind the desk and then  popped back up to shoot again. He tried his best to shoot them in ways that would cause them to topple onto each other and so incapacitate them for a little while.

But unlike him, there were many of them and though Kili was taking them out, there was always more that flooded through the narrow corridor. Kili was soon lost in a violent haze of flashing lights, loud bangs, whining sounds as shot ricocheted, stinging cuts from near misses and splinters from the wooden desk that was barely dong anything to protect him anymore. Eventually at some point in time, Kili had to back away from the desk and then before he knew it he was fleeing down the corridor. Then at the first stairwell, he held then off for a bit, hiding behind the corner before he ran down the first flight of stairs to the landing and then shot as many of them as he could as they came down the stairs after him.

Then there was a repeat of that along the whole corridor of the next floor with Kili hiding in doorways and the next stairwell. On the next floor though, the sound of someone firing next to him startled him out of his fugue. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Thorin next to him and then Dwalin took up a place on the other side of him and together they repelled the wave of ORCS that was coming after them. Then as suddenly as it started, the ORCS were flooding back up the stairs and away from them. Kili continued shooting for a few moments after until Dwalin yanked his hand away from the gun. Kili stared at him for a moment, in confusion and then stared blankly at the now empty corridor.

It took another few moments before the sound of sirens penetrated his still adrenalin fogged mind and he realized that the local police had shown up and that the ORCS had fled. When he finally perceived that he was safe, Kili’s knees did a most embarrassing round of buckling and he fell. Right before he hit the floor someone caught him. He was lowered gently onto the floor in a sitting position and then a hand rested on his forehead and pulled him back until he was leaning on someone.

“Easy lad,” came his Uncle’s familiar, rough voice. “It’s over. They’re gone. Breathe.”

Kili took a deep breath in and focused n the feeling of his Uncle’s hand on his head. Around them, police officers who had now reached the floor, swarmed, as they ran to check out the rest of the building. After a few more breaths Kili sat up and took Dwalin’s offered hand and pulled himself up. Behind him, Thorin also got up and together, they all surveyed the carnage that encompassed that corridor in front of them.

“Well,” said Dwalin, “At least they didn’t get the jewels.”


	13. Chapter 13

Uncle Thorin had a history with O.R.C.S. (Organized Raiding Crime Syndicate). Which to say, was an understatement. It had all started after Smaug had tried to take over Erebor Corps. (something Kili hadn’t known until after the firefight). The company was in a bit of a bad way after fending off Smaug and was taking any kind of jobs then to get them back on their feet. It was a job at an art gallery which was usually taken by Mirkwood Protection Services, who had once been their friend but had abandoned them when Smaug had tried to take the Company, or Rivendell Guard. But still the company took the job.

 It was the first night and all was going well, until suddenly the lights went out and the ambush started. The company had rallied valiantly but the O.R.C.S. had gotten onto the roof and started downward trapping the company in the middle. Erebor called for reinforcements but they arrived too late. By the time they came, Thorin’s grandfather had been killed by the Pale Orc, beheaded with one blast of his shotgun. Thorin had, in a fit of rage, stalked toward the Pale Orc, intent on killing him. The Pale Orc had shot his last set of rounds at Thorin but he had checked and dived backward just in time for the buckshot to go over his head. He tried to shoot the Orc but the Orc had pulled a wicked looking blade from a sheath on his back and sliced toward Thorin’s gun, destroying it and whipping it from Thorin’s hand. Thorin pulled his other gun only for it too, to be ripped from his hand. He had frantically scrambled backward on the floor to prevent the Orc from killing him, searching for something, anything to protect himself from the next blow.  That’s when his hand fell on the branch.

The branch had once been a part of a modern sculpture, some “In the Woods” thingy that someone had made and had used an oak branch as part of it. The poor sculpture at this point in the story had been shot to pieces, hence the oak branch on the floor. The oak branch was to become the hero in this story. Uncle Thorin had picked it up and used it to block the Orc’s next blow, and the other, and the other, still scrambling backward. Just when the Pale Orc’s blow knocked Thorin’s oak shield back, Thorin’s searching right hand grasped the butt of a gun and shot the Pale Orc in the shoulder with several rounds. The Pale Orc had retreated then and Erebor Corps had rallied and driven them out, although with heavy losses. Kili’s Grandfather had been taken by them and was never seen again and Kili’s other uncle had died there as well.  And that had been the first battle of a year of attacks by ORCS and the battle where his Uncle had gained the name of Thorin Oakenshield.

 It had been hard, the ORCS had been determined to make that area their own and Erebor Corps had had to fight them every step of the way, struggling to hold onto their reputation as well. But it was a battle they had won. After a year, the ORCS had left, never to be seen again.

Well, until last night. Kili and the company had spent the whole night, talking to the police and reporting to the police of Dale what exactly had happened. Questions upon questions were poured on them. Halfway through, Kili’s legs decided they’d rather sit, only they didn’t wait for him. For the second time in a row, his legs buckled and he had had to be caught by Dwalin and led to the Company truck which had surprisingly made it through with very little damage. At that point though, the police decided that they should be allowed to rest and they were let go with a promise of the police visiting Erebor Corps tomorrow for a more detailed report.

With that Kili and some of the company were carted back home for medical attention while those like Balin and Bofur and Thorin had to deal with the rightfully irate owners of the building and tell them all over again, exactly what happened.

When Kili reached home, he was overwhelmed by the tidal wave that was his mother, smothered with love and then buried with the anger that had drifted up when her fright found another outlet. He was treated for numerous small cuts, had splinters pulled out of him from various odd areas and had his stiff muscles, still hurting from his fight with the Lion Prince, briskly rubbed with some ointment that was very cold and then burned like hellfire in the next minute.  Then he was almost literally tossed to bed by his mother, who was now mothering everyone and screaming at them at the same time. Kili had just enough coherent thought left to pity his Uncle when he met Dis, before he fell fast asleep.

* * *

 

Two days after the big firefight, found Kili once more making his way down the dark corridor that marked the entrance of the Dragon’s Den. He wasn’t fully healed but he knew that two weeks was a long time, time enough for a fighting ring to be wanting to get a move on, especially if most of the fighters in the area were being clocked out fast by the Lion Prince. But Kili couldn’t let them leave. He hadn’t run through all the fighters in this particular ring yet. It would completely suck if the one ring he didn’t get to check out was the one Fili was in. It would also be just like fate to do so. So Kili wasn’t about to give her the chance to further bite him in the backside.

He entered the screaming throng of people and searched the board for the next set of fighters. He smiled when he saw them. He was in luck. The Lion Prince was up to fight next. Kili himself had no interest to fight the Lion Prince again. At least, not when he was on a mission. Some other time, yes, he would love to go up there and kick his backside from here into next Durin’s Day but he something else to do. But he also needed to keep the ring here. Something the owners would hype and see a profit in. He had to give them something to hype. He needed a rivalry. And also he also wanted to find out why it was the Lion Prince hadn’t broken his jaw that night, even if Kili didn’t want to admit it to himself.

Kili watched as the fight in the ring finished and the winner declared and then waited patiently for the Lion Price’s fight knowing it wouldn’t take long. He wasn’t wrong. In less than a minute the challenger was out cold on the mat. The crowd roared and the Lion Prince smiled smugly and turned to face them, his eyes sweeping the mass of people screaming his name.  Kili watched his eyes and timed it right. Just as his eyes scanned his section of the crowd, Kili calmly raised his hand with a single finger in the medial region of his hand extended. The Lion’s Prince’s eyes flicked past him and then checked and swung back, this time stopping on Kili. Kili grinned, held his eyes and pointed at him, with said extended finger , _You_ , and then at himself with his index finger, _Me,_ and mouthed two days as he held up two fingers, _Two days._ The ringmaster came to lift the Lion Prince’s hand in victory and then realized something was happening. Kili didn’t wait though; he turned and started pushing his way through the crowd. Those around him who had seen what happened made way for him, watching him like he was crazy. Behind him he heard the ringmaster saying,

“What happened people? What just went down there?!”

And then Kili heard someone reply, in a deep husky voice, in tones of surprise, amusement and admiration all rolled into one, “A challenge.” And then he realized that that was the first time he had ever heard the Lion Price speak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Kili and the Lion Prince will meet again!


	14. I Am A Lion.

It doesn’t’ sound like flesh hitting flesh. Oh no. That ‘thud! thud!’ sounds more like board on board, stone on stone and feels like steel on steel. It has to. The Dragon would have it no other way. Only the hardest hitters, those with the fastest reaction time, those with the most generous dollops of grace. Only those can hold on through the trials that the Dragon calls the purifying flames for his golden fighters. We can have no blemish. No impurity. No, only the best. His gold and jewels. His precious, precious hoard. Slowly he molds us, he makes us, tries to forces us into being what he is. Tries to make us what he is. Tries to make us perfect because he is perfection itself. He has no flaw, no rough edges, no brokenness, no impurity, no humanity. He wants us to be golden fighters, golden dragons. Lesser, only because he had to teach us to be that way. He has twisted me, molded me and even made me what I am today. But there is still one thing the Dragon cannot change: I will never be a Dragon. I am a Lion.


	15. Chapter 15

Two days later, Kili walked into the Dragon’s Den. He hadn’t come in early, preferring not to have to wait through other fights. He needed his head clear for this fight. Because in this fight, he couldn’t afford to go down fast. It didn’t matter if he lost. This time, what mattered was how long he stayed in the ring. He needed to be seen as a worthy opponent. He needed to sell the idea of a rivalry but in order for that to happen, he needed to be seen as a rival, something that doesn’t happen when you’re drooling on the ring mat inside of a minute of the fight. He had put the first step in place when he issued the challenge. Now he just needed to pull off the rest. He was sure he could. He was Kili Durin after all.

As he pushed his way through the crowd, he heard a hush start to come over the Den. People started recognizing him and let him through the mob of bodies until he was at the ring side.

“Well, well, well!,” said the Ring master, “Looks like our challenger has shown up after all! You ready for a challenge people?!”

“Yeah!” some people yelled.

“What was that?!!!”

“Yeah!!!” the mob shouted back louder.

“Well, I’ll tell you what,” screamed back the announcer, “I ain’t ready for a challenge. I’m ready for a massacre!!! Let’s bring out the Lion Prince!!!!!”

The crowd roared. Loud music stared blaring and Kili knew that the Lion Prince would start to come out. Kili ignored it all and pulled out his gloves from the bag he had slung over one shoulder and put them on carefully. Then he kicked off his shoes and stuffed them in the bag.  He tossed the bag onto the step leading up to the ring and then he boosted himself onto the ring and calmly slipped between the ropes. At the same moment the Lion Prince did the same. Kili grimly reflected how much an inverted picture they made, blond and black, slipping within the ring with identical movements.  They stood in their corners and faced each other, cold blue eyes, meeting determined black ones. Around them the crowd which had been hyped up a moment earlier slowly fell silent as they became aware of the charge of energy building between the two fighters. The two of them stared at each other, waiting for the other to break and at the same time seeking out the weakness of the other. After a long moment the announcer called them together in the middle and reminded them of the sparse rules in the ring. They both nodded, eyes still locked onto each others. They were dismissed back to their corners and both of them carefully backed away from each other eyes still locked. The tension in the air was palpable, and the crowd felt like they were holding their breath like one organism.

And then… “Start!”

They both moved, sliding to the side and starting to circle like water swirling in a glass. It felt like they were starting a whirlpool; a deadly dance, a deadly swirl that would keep drawing them closer and closer until they should inevitably meet. They circled each other, drawing closer until they were both just inside the other’s range.

And then... the Lion Prince stepped forward, his arm snapping out. The tension broke like glass, harsh and sharp. The crowd screamed. Kili dodged it, snapped back into position, just in time to block the hook from the other arm.  He skipped back instinctively to give himself some room and then dropped his guard to reach out with his left hand. He caught the Lion Prince’s elbow and used the momentum of L.P. pulling back to spin on his lead leg and bring his own elbow to meet the Lion Prince’s unprotected ribs. The blow connected with a harsh crack but Kili knew he had done nothing but bruise them.  He snapped his hand up and felt the back of his fist connect with the L.P’s face.  But then his wrist was gripped and Kili was yanked from his place next to the L.P.  to be pulled in front of the Lion Prince. He stumbled and fell. The hand chopping down on his back, helped him down.  The breath exploded out of Kili from the blow. His connection with mat drove whatever air had been left in his body. He rolled and rolled on instinct. The first axe kick missed his head by centimeters, the second by inches.  Kili got to his feet and finally took in a breath. His chest heaved harshly and his back screamed. He ignored it. He moved, trying to get his back away from the ropes. He made it just before the Lion Prince trapped him. Kili skipped back to the center of the ring, knowing he had to set the pace of the fight or he would not last as long as he needed to.  

The Lion Prince stood still for moment and then he was moving before Kili got a next thought into his head. He froze for the fraction of a second and then turned and ran. He felt the surprise of the crowd and of the Lion Prince. Kili sprinted for the corner and then didn’t stop. He planted one foot on the support on the comer and the other higher up and pushed off, twisting as he did so. He shot into the air, flying over the Lion Prince’s head twisting to fall back into the ring as he did. He folded himself into a tuck, spun rapidly a few times in the air and landed behind the L.P. with one hand on the floor and one leg extended. He swiveled on the floor and his extended leg, swept the L.P. of his feet. He fell back hard and Kili shot to his feet and skipped back to the center of the ring breathing hard.

He had learnt that fancy piece of aerial work from Nori and he had come up with the follow up by himself. But from his last fight, Kili knew better than to stay on the ground with the Lion Prince. He was better off standing. Besides he needed the fight to last. The Lion Prince shot to his feet, and stared angrily at Kili, but Kili could see the confusion in his eyes. He wanted to know why Kili hadn’t taken the shot at him while he was down. Kili grinned at him and said “Is that all you’ve got? What happened? Are you tired?”

The blue eyes changed to that soul freezing color. “No,” he replied, “Bored.”

He advanced rapidly. Kili automatically sidestepped to the right but the Lion Prince hadn’t dashed to him. Kili paused where he was, puzzled. Then he saw that the L.P. had changed course in a few steps and smacked to the ropes on the left. The ropes stretched and allowed the L.P. to change direction. Then they snapped back and like a projectile being shot from a rubber band he flung himself at the frozen Kili.

Kili tried to get out of the way but everything had happened to fast .The next thing he knew was the weight of the Lion Prince hitting him. He was carried almost halfway over the ropes but a hand grabbed his jersey and then bone shattering blows rained down on him. From his position, bent halfway over the ropes, Kili couldn’t defend himself properly with his arms. He failed trying to keep the blows from connecting but he couldn’t stop all of them. He struggled for a moment, feeling panic setting in as the hard punches made him see stars and black spots dancing the tango. His blocks and retaliation punches became wilder and then quite suddenly Kili forced himself to stop. His arms dropped, half hanging over his head for a second and then, he grabbed the hand that was holding him by the wrist and squeezed tightly. His other arm tightened and Kili began punching the arm that was holding him, targeting the elbow. He mayn’t punch as hard the Lion Prince but he wasn’t just any fighter; his blows were quite capable of breaking bone.  Quite capable of inflicting serious damage on the L.P’s almost fully extended hand. 

Kili was suddenly ripped up and flung across the ring. He rolled over and hit the ropes on the other side. He clawed his way up them and stood in the fighter’s crouch.  Both his cheekbones were cut, blood was streaming sown from over his right eyebrow, his mouth was definitely split in several places. Kili batted the blood away from his right eyebrow and grinned a bloody grin at the Lion Prince.

“What the matter?” he taunted, his words slurred and blood but still cheerful “Lost your crown today, Prince?”

The Lion Prince didn’t bother to replay to this verbal jab. He simply stalked toward Kili with his cat’s grace. Kili slid away from the ropes and went to meet him. The crowd roared. When they almost reached each other, Kili dropped his arms and snapped his front leg out in a front kick. The Lion Prince darted forward, dropped to his knees and hit Kili’s other leg. Kili fell with a hammer punch as the Lion Prince stood with an upper cut. Both abandoned their punches in favour of dodging. They went to either side and were up on their feet in seconds already twisting to meet the other. The Lion Prince got there first though and his right hand drove forward with devastating force. Kili had enough time to catch his fist just before it hit his face. Then he tightened his hold on the hand and using the Lion Princes forward momentum to get enough leverage, put a foot on the L.P thigh and flipped over the arm he was holding, with his second leg smacking the Lion Price hard in the face. The both fell as the Lion Prince’s momentum was lost. The whole thing happened in seconds. Kili rolled away and popped to his feet. And then promptly went down as the Lion Prince tackled him from the floor. They scrambled for a moment on the floor and then The Lion Prince got behind Kili and locked his arm around his neck in a choke hold. Kili kicked and wriggled and pounded tying to break the hold but he couldn’t. The lights above the ring, faded and came back, faded again and came back brighter. He arced his body as hard as he could trying to get some purchase to remove the hold from his neck but the Lion Prince’s grip just got tighter and tighter until the lights flared and sank into blackness. 

 


	16. Inside The Lion's Den- Fire And A Line.

I look down at the body of the black haired fighter. Lying unconscious, his body shows no sign of the power and grace it had when aware. His closed eyes give no sign of the burning determination they held when open. He looks like a child sleeping but like one who slept through nightmares and enters sleep gingerly. He looks like me, when I was a child. When hope was still something I held on to. When I still struggled against burdens that I thought would someday go away. I tug off my gloves and stare at the battered fists. All around me the crowd cheers but I feel like I have crushed the hope of someone. The feelings bubble up and churn inside me. That same feeling of regret, of feeling bad for knocking out this cocky kid. I don't know why and I cannot find out why. I am too twisted inside to make sense of what's going in my own head. The only clear thing left inside me is a line drawn sharply in the metaphorical sand. One that I am drawing closer and closer to every day. One that I am drawing closer and closer to every time I hit this child. For he is a child. And yet tonight I saw in him something so old it shocked me. Me, who has seen children torn apart by aging far before their time. Something so cold despite his burning passion, something so calculating he could have been a dragon himself but for the fact that there is too much fire in him. Dragon fire may burn but it never burns hot. It freezes your soul into crystal and then cracks it and watches the cracks spread until you shatter. But my soul is too twisted to crack easily. I will survive dragon fire. But his fire does not freeze, the black haired fighter. It burns far too fierce for even dragon fire to handle.

I turn to head out ring when two of the Dragon's minions brush past me. I turn to see what they are doing. They are lifting the black haired fighter. They will throw him outside as they do all losers. I look down at my bruised ribs and feel my blue-black chin and snarl at them to stop. I see them jerk and hear the crowds quiet in surprise. I feel dragon eyes on my back but ignore it. I jerk my head at the clock. "Leave him. He lasted over two minutes." They looked at me and then nodded. I turned and left, slanting my eyes to catch the Dragon curled up in his Den. I stare at him and he smiles and nodded. He was a good fighter. He had lasted more than two minutes in the ring. He should be allowed to wake up in it. My gift to him.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kili wakes up after his fight. a little bit of fluff.

Kili awoke to a star of lights above him, much to his confusion. Slowly he realized that he was still in ring in the Dragon's Den. All around him quiet reigned. Everyone was gone. The only lights in the place were above him. He sat up in little pained motions and discovered that he had a headache. He wasn't surprised though. Knocking out by strangulation always gave him a headache; not the a-jackhammer-is-pounding-my-skull headache but a sort of woozy headache that hurt more every time he breathed; the air feeling like it was passing along two overly sensitive lines somewhere in his head. He reached over to the ropes and dragged himself up. He located his bag, tottered over to it, sat down to put back on his shoes and then dragged himself back out and somehow made it outside and into a cab.

The cab dropped him in front of Erebor Corps and Kili stood for a moment staring at the main doors wondering he could make it around the back with his spinning head or if he should just walk in and get everything over with. He titled his head into the brisk wind for a moment and took a deep breath trying to clear his mind. After a few moments he decided he might as well get it over with. He took another deep breath, winced as he felt the bruising around his neck, let it out and entered the main doors.

He was instantly hailed with a cheerful, "Kili! Just the lad I wanted to see!"

A hand dropped painfully over his shoulder. Kili let out a pained whimper but the person didn't remove their hand or lighten the load.

"Isn't that right Nori?" said the cheerful voice.

"Sure!" said another voice and yet another hand dropped across his shoulders causing him to whimper again.

Kili turned his head stiffly to look at first Bofur and then Nori, both of whom were grinning at him with textbook smiles.

"What do you want?" he asked as they began to lead him to the elevator.

"Just a little manner of settling a debt," Bofur said, "Nothing to worry about."

Kili was beginning to feel very worried. "What debt?" he said cautiously, while half his mind was on trying not to stumble between the two of them. The punch-drunkeness was kicking in. "I don't owe anyone anything."

"Yes you do," said Nori as they maneuvered him into the elevator.

"You owe us all a meal lad," Bofur informed him.

"All of who?" Kili asked as the elevator doors pinged open and he was being maneuvered out. They were both carrying him by now.

"All of us," said Mr. Dwalin's voice. Kili looked up to realize that they were in the med bay. The 'us' was all of the company minus his Uncle who were ranged around a bed waiting for him.

"Why?!"asked Kili.

"To be fair though it is only a half meal in consideration for your rather light pocket and as it did have some benefit for us. But you'll be paying for Balin's whole meal fair and square." Bofur continued cheerfully.

They plunked him down on the bed and Oin instantly began to fuss about his injuries.

"I still don't know why?!" said Kili exasperated trying to bat away Oin's hand as he attempted to clean the cuts n Kili's cheekbones. The offending hand was promptly punished and Kili meekly submitted to his treatment.

"Because," said Ori, "we convinced Mr. Thorin to take your mother out for dinner before he noticed you were missing."

"And that lad," said Mr. Balin, "is why you'll be paying for my whole meal since I am the one who did the talking."

Kili stared up at them in surprise, feeling touched. He knew they had his back in the job but he also knew that none of them approved of him fighting out in the rings. That they should cover for him like this made a lump come to his throat. He swallowed several times and convinced himself that it was because of his bruised throat that his voice came out a little hoarse when he said, "Thanks. Just…Thanks."

"Well, you're welcome!" said Dori, "although why we should have is more than I know!" but he smiled at Kili and Kili knew he was joking.

"Besides," said Nori, "Who needs Thorin in a more of a huff right now that he already is right now? Especially with the break-in and the ORCS?"

"Aye," agreed Dwalin, "And he'd be more angry with ye lad, for going out at night with ORCS being in the area. He might actually kill you thins time or your mother might. If whoever gave you that embarrassing ring of bruises around your neck doesn't kill you first. Same one as last time?"

Kili grimaced with embarrassment for a moment and nodded. He regretted it a moment later as his neck protested.

"Well if you fight him again, a good tip would to be not to get strangled again," Nori told him cheekily.

Kili deadpanned. "That's wonderful advice Nori, I'll remember it next time," he said sarcastically.

"And you might want to keep your face out of his hands next time to," said Ori catching on to the game. Kili glared at Ori who wore perfectly angelic expression.

"With the state of your hands," said Mr. Balin with a twinkle in his eyes, "I almost tempted to say to keep your hands away from him. It appears he does far more damage to you than you do to him, when you hit him."

"Alright! Aright!" said Kili exasperated, "I get the idea." He caught sight of Bifer playfully pantomiming strangling someone behind everyone and pointing to Kili, and said "Hey!" Bifer grinned at him. The others laughed

Kili sighed and gave up and flopped his head back onto the bed.

"Remember lad," said Bomber cheerfully, "Half a meal!"

Kili groaned. "Fine!" and the company all laughed at him again.

"I'll see you in the morning lad," said Dwalin, "We'll have to get an excuse for those cuts and bruises right?"

Kili lifted his head, saw the unholy gleam of light in his eyes, and consigned himself to Mahal. There was no way he was going to live through a beat down with Mr. Dwalin on top of this.

"Right lad?" growled Dwalin.

Kili thunked his head back down again, closed his eyes and resigned himself to his fate. "Right."

Apparently he was going to have to live through it.

_Big brother, you really are a lot of trouble. For an instant frozen blue eyes flashed in his mind's eye in the Lion Prince's mocking gaze._

* * *

There was no morning the next day. There was only hell. Kili sat down in the bathroom for a full hour after sparing with Mr. Dwalin. It was all he could do to sit upright. He spent most of his time contemplating where he should just let go and fall onto the tiles and drown or something. The only thing that held him back was that it would be a terrible way for his body to be found. If he was going to die he was going to die coolly or at least in a respectable manner. At least though, Uncle Thorin had apparently believed the ruse he and Dwalin had put up. If he hadn't Kili was sure he would have just screamed.

It took awhile but he finally got dressed and ready for the day. He and Ori were paired up again for the rest of the day. They had to visit all their customers, reassure them, and see about installing more cameras and roof defenses. The ORCS' attack had left many people jittery. Bofur and the others had already spoken to most of them so all Kili had to do was play the charming, reassuring , representative and parrot most of Bofur's and Balin's words back to the customers. He used his clearly beaten appearance as proof he was in the firefight and assurance that no matter what happened to them, the people of Erebor Corps would not let their valued clients down. Ori helped him perfect that act as they well along and the day passed pleasantly and fruitfully and they returned triumphant to Erebor Corps.

They reported in to Dori. Dropped in Ori's sketches to Nori and then pilfered the kitchen for something to eat before dinner. Bomber chased them out with a rolling pin and they had to run away. Eventually they enlisted help from other hungry employees and Kili led a planned raid into the kitchen. They ended up with four pies and painful bumps from the rolling pin. It was while they were running out of the kitchen that Kili ran smack into his Uncle. He reeled back and all fun in the atmosphere was instantly leeched away.

"Ah, Uncle, fancy running into to you. I mean meeting you here. I am so sorry. I didn't see you there." All the time Kili was frantically brushing the crumbs off his Uncle's shirt, knowing he was digging his gave. Thorin stood as stiff as a statue glaring at him. Kili continued wiping the front of Thorin's shirt even though all the crumbs were now gone, in favor of having to look at Thorin.

"Kili," said Thorin menacingly. Kili winced and looked up. Thorin glared at him for a full five seconds without saying a word and then snatched the pie from him and walked off. Kili stared at his empty hand and then at his Uncle's retreating back and then back to his hand. Then he looked back to see Thorin in the elevator taking a kingly bite of the pie. The doors closed leaving behind a befuddled Kili and a group of snickering employees.

Kili looked at them and then back to the elevator. "Did Uncle Thorin just steal my pie?" he asked in disbelief.

Suddenly Ori broke and laughed. "Kili," he said gasping for breath, "It is my belief that you just got robbed by your Uncle!" And he broke into laughter again along with everyone else, now that the situation's irony had revealed itself.

Kili frowned at them and then grabbed one of the other remaining pies and ran. An instant war ensued.

Upstairs Thorin watched the fight from one of his monitors in his office. It was unruly and unprofessional and he should put a stop to it. But ever since the ORCS' attack, memories had been dredging themselves up in his mind. Most were unpleasant but some, some were not. Seeing his nephew and his company creeping down the hallway after a raid had suddenly reminded him of the many times he and Frerin used to do the same thing. And seeing his dark haired nephew, so much like his brother, with a wide, real smile on his face had made him rescind his instinctive wrath. So yes, he should stop it, but for the moment, seeing his nephew smile and laugh, as he attempted to keep his pie for himself, was well worth it. Thorin glanced at the screen for a moment longer and then tossed the last piece of pie in his mouth.


	18. Forgotten Light And A Warning.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little tidbit of Fili.

Day. I act like it has a difference from night, but in reality? It doesn't. It's always half-twilight in the compounds that the Dragon uses as his dens. I don't think I've seen day in more than a decade. The dragon likes darkness where the only light comes from his flames and those always makes the dark seem darker. I know there is the sun somewhere out there, outside, but I've forgotten the feel of it, the way it looked. It has no use to me either. The sun cannot save me. I am beyond saving. It will not want to shine on me. It has forgotten whatever I might have been and what I am now, only darkness and pseudo light will accept. I once fought to get back to the sun. I always wonder why now.

But day means movement. It means get up before you are ripped up. No one has ripped me up in long, long time. No one has dared to. But day means movement because movement means life and I am not quite dead. Not yet. I jerk off the small cot and pull on training clothes and move towards the gym.

When I get there I wrap my hands and put on my gloves and begin on my usual regime. I am halfway through it, working on the punch bag and easing out the kinks in my left hand from where the black haired fighter had damaged it, when I felt his cool gaze on the back of my neck. Once upon a time it paralyzed me, now it all it does is place freezing holes on my skin. The cold never really bothered me. I ignored him and continued, slowly upping the pace of the jabs, crosses and hooks I was working in combo, testing to see how the left arm held up. I feel his presence draw closer and then, as I draw my left arm back for a cross, his arm darts out and snatches my wrist, casually restraining all the power I had put in it and almost causing me to pop my shoulder. I freeze the blow as fast as I can but damage is still done. Not lasting of course, but done none the less.

He waits until all the power has gone out of the blow and then casually stretches out my arm and inspects it.

"Quite impressive," he says, eyes still on my arm, "The damage he caused. Far beyond even my expectations. He is an impressive fighter, I'll give him that. Quite entertaining. Even managing to last over two minutes." His fingers are stroking along my arm now, lightly testing the damage done, nails scraping gently over the blue black areas. I held myself very still, eyes facing forward. "It was well done," he continued. "But," and his fingers pressed down harder on the blue-black spot they on were currently, "he is crude. Untrained. A street rat, with a hint of talent. And you my dear, dear fighter, are a Prince, the jewel of my collection. You have been trained by the best of trainers available. You have been trained by me."

His other arm crossed over and gripped my chin and turned my head to face him so that our eyes are locked onto the others'.

"Two minutes is _unacceptable!_ " he hisses and then drops both my arm and my chin and stalks away.

Once upon a time, his gaze scared me. It still does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we meet the Dragon properly for the first time.


	19. Chapter 19

A few days later Kili and the others were once more on guard duty and though they spent the whole night on edge, nothing happened. Kili and the others handed over their shift to the morning guard and then went home even more tired than usual because of their unusual level of vigilance. Kili collapsed in bed and didn't wake up until his alarm went off, whereby he got up and went though his morning routine. He and Ori and Nori afterward were sent to do routine checkups on the new equipment that they had installed in all their customers businesses. It pacified the clients and reassured Erebor Corps. Luckily everything seemed to be working fine. Around one o' clock they broke for lunch on the far side of the city in a tiny little deli. They ordered and then Kili and Ori snagged a table near the window so they could watch the car. While they were waiting for their food, Kili busied himself staring out of the window and then noticed something stuck to the light post outside the window. It was a flyer that seemed to be innocently announcing a cake sale, the sort of flyer no one really took seriously. Unless of course they knew what it really was. Kili left Ori at the table and jogged outside to examine the flyer. After a few moments, when he deciphered the flyer he grinned. It looked like his little stunt had had more pull than he had realized. The Dragon's Den was staying on and it was putting out a tournament, starting next week Saturday.

Kili memorized the place and then jogged back inside the deli and sat down. Ori glared at him suspiciously but to Kili's surprise said nothing. Luckily their food came just then and interrupted the potentially awkward situation, but even so Ori's dark eyes still stared at him suspiciously every now and then. Needless to say Kili was glad when they got back to Erebor Corps.

* * *

He trains. He trains because he knows who will be on the top of the fights. He trains be he has to last through all the fights. He trains because in a tournament all the fighters will be brought out and it is his last chance to find his brother. He trains and he doesn't quite know why. Mr. Dwalin notices, he knows. On the third day, Mr. Dwalin ups his training. On the fourth day Nori teaches him some more tricks. Kili doesn't know why they help him but, he is grateful. He continues his training for the rest of the week, pushing himself further than he ever had before yet walking just shy of crossing over into dangerous exhaustion. It would make no sense to train himself so hard and not be able to fight.

On Saturday morning though, Kili leaves off his gloves and instead picks up his bow and heads into the range. He takes a few moments going over the bow carefully; checking the tension in the strings, calibrating it, making sure the pulleys were oiled right, the strings strung right. When he was done he takes a few moments to roll his shoulders and slacken them. Then he takes the bow, nocks an arrow, sights the first target and releases. The arrow hits the edge of the target. Kili gives it a wobbly smile and nocked another arrow. This time he breathes in and out a few more times, forcing himself to relax and then release. It hits the third rings from the center. He draws again, breathing in and out and sighting carefully again. He releases and it thunked again into the third ring. He blows a breath out again and continues shooting, again and again until nothing mattered but the target. All he can see is the tiny red circle in the center and within that the unmarked but tangible mark that denoted the bullseye. Kili's vision narrowed and narrowed, his focus matching it as he drew one arrow after another, in an almost seamless rhythm. Arrows thudded into the target making a steady progress toward the center of the target as Kili let go of his nervousness and focused on his goal once more. Finally when one arrow smacked into the dead center, followed by two more, Kili lowered his bow and rolled his shoulders again feeling much more centered than he had before. He once more took exquisite care of his bow and retrieved his arrows and packed them all away.

He spent the rest of the day helping Mr. Balin with the accounts while trying to learn how it all worked. Afterward he had a rather nice diner with his uncle, who was in a good mood and his mom, went serenely to his room, packed his bag, waited a couple of hours and then snuck out, sneaking out of course meaning Nori watched him every second of the way and even wiggled the cameras back and forth to convey and emphatic 'No'. Kili often wondered if Nori ever slept. Kili waved at the cameras and disappeared into the streets.

* * *

The Dragons Den hasn't moved, but like most high level tournaments, the different rounds are held in different arenas, in case of police crackdown. Tonight it was in a place that Kili knew well. It was far underground and very extensive. It made sense that the Dragon's Den would start out with a bang.

Kili slipped in without a problem. He stood at the bottom of the steps surveying the crowd gathered in the sizable room. He could feel the excitement in the room, pulsing like a living creature. He shifted his gaze to the cordoned off area in the room where the outside fighters were signing up. His eyebrows lifted as he recognized a few of them. He had known that the flyer had gone wide but he hadn't expected how wide. There were fighters from everywhere and they were tough. Kili blew out a breath and then made his way over to the cordoned off area. The guards before the ropes looked him over and then let him in. Kili patiently waited his turn and then signed up and paid the fee for entering. Then he moved over to one of the back rooms where the fighters were prepping. Kili dumped his bag in a corner, stripped off his jacket and quickly wrapped his hands and then pulled his MMA gloves over them. He kicked off his sneakers and banded his instep and ankle. He tested his mobility and was satisfied. Then he warmed up with a few stretches and light punches. When he felt he was in form, he took a swig of water from his bag and then went back outside and leaned against the wall to wait for the competitions to start.

At 11:45 p.m. the signing up was closed. A terse silence descended on the crowd as everyone waited for the match ups to appear on the big screen. Kili concentrated on his breathing, even as he stared at the screen. Other fighters came and leaned against the wall next to him as they too waited. The atmosphere thickened with anticipation. Finally at 11:55 the screen flickered and the groups came up one by one, A-D.

 

A                                             B                                                             C                                             D

Killer vs Scar                       Unstobbale vs Laidback                 Giant vs Wizard                 Castle vs Ringmaster

Troll vs Goblin                   Uncatchable vs Whiplash              D.I.N.A.O. vs Ultimate          Diamondbone vs Leil

Slingshot vs Machine         Ripclaw vs Black Mane                 Wildfire vs Lastlaugh            Butcher vs Overkill

Knockout vs Graylin          Foehammer vs Lightsout               Cave vs Sting                       Lion Prince vs Danger

 

 

 

Kili blew out a breath and then grinned. They had put the Lion Prince and him into different groups to ensure that they wouldn't be fighting too early on in the tournament. In fact they wouldn't meet until the final round if they both made it that far. The Dragon was clever.

The Ringmaster came on screaming shouts to the now screaming crowd. The fighters looked at each other and then they organized themselves into their groups and waited for the fighters for the Dragons Den to come out. Music blared and Scar quirked an eyebrow at them and then ran out into the ring, yelling to the crowd. The crowd yelled back to him and then he danced into his corner when the music changed and the Den fighter, Killer, came out. The crowd roared in appreciation and just like that the tournament had begun.

 


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kili's first fight in the tournament.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Hope you guys like this chapter and the fight! I didn't think it was a spectacular fight but i hope that it was good! Thanks to all my readers and reviewers and those who left kudos!

Scar and Killer's fight was a knockdown, drag out fight. Both fighters traded blows that cracked across the arena. The crowd roared and shouted for their favorite but Kili and the other fighters were intent on studying the style of each of the fighters in the ring. Scar was faster and lighter on his feet but he packed a wicked punch. Killer wasn't so fast and his punch was harder than Scar's. And while he didn't land as much blows on Scar as Scar did to him, he knew how to use those punches he did land. It was only a matter of time before the damage he landed on Scar began to tell. When he finally stumbled, Killer moved in and delivered a brutal uppercut that had Scar's feet leaving the floor. He landed back hard on the mat and was summarily carried out. Killer's hand was raised as the winner and he cheered but Kili could see the way his chest heaved. It had only been matter of time before Scar's blows would have put him down too. The real fight between them had been a fight of endurance.

Troll took down Goblin with an actual suplex in the first two minutes of the fight. Kili had winced and sincerely hoped that Goblin's neck hadn't broken. It hadn't but it was obvious he needed medical attention.

Slingshot and Machine had been an interesting match that had paired up two out-fighters with fast punches and kicks. Their match stretched out as the two circled each other, trying to alternatively corer the other person and deliver and barrage of blows sure to knock someone out and trying to escape being cornered themselves. Slingshot eventually won out though, cornering Machine, knocking out his guard and delivering upwards of fifteen crosses in about 7 seconds. Kili hadn't been able to count the exact number.

Graylin bumped Kili's shoulder good-naturedly as he passed him on his way up to the ring and gave him a grin. Kili grinned back. He knew Graylin from his first visit to a fighting ring. He had been the fighter in the match before him, had seen him freaking out as he was about enter and had told him to 'relax and fight idiot'. It had helped.

He watched Graylin hop the ropes with some trepidation, because it hadn't escaped his attention that all the winners had been from the Dragon's Den. Knockout came out and apparently was a crowd favorite because the volume upped like fifty decibels. The referee started the match and the opponents started to circle each other. Thirty seconds into the fight it became obvious that Knockout's greatest factor was his strength while Graylin seemed to favour nothing in particular. They were both smart fighters though, and used what they had to the best advantage. The fight progressed to a stunning five minutes length before Knockout's attacks actually started to crowd Graylin enough that he had to pull out of the indifferent façade that he had put up. Then it quickly became apparent that what Graylin's strength was, was unpredictability and the ability to back that up with a variety of styles that seemed to be never-ending in number. From the time that Graylin really began to fight to the moment when Knockout was knocked out, was exactly one minute.

"Whoo!" shouted Kili grinning.

The next group started and Kili started to tense because he was the third fight and then had to remind himself to relax.

Unstoppable turned out to really be unstoppable. Uncatchable turned out to be catchable. In fact he was so catchable; Whiplash won by swinging him around by his feet and throwing him through the space in the ropes and out of the ring.

Then he was up. Kili checked to make sure his gloves was secure and then bounded up to the ring as his name was announced. The crowd went wild and Kili slipped in between the ropes and played up to them and then retreated to his corner to wait for his opponent. He appeared with an accompanying blast of music. Kili looked him over as he walked up to the ring. He had black hair that was a little curly and black eyes with a harsh angled face and thin lips. His body was lean and long and packed with corded muscle. He slipped between the ropes and Kili noted he shared a similar fluid grace with the Lion Prince. He glanced over the crowd and then returned his gaze to Kili. The two fighters stepped towards each other and listened to the rules, nodded to show they understood and then returned to their corners. Kili assumed his usual fighter's crouch and saw Ripclaw do the same. The referee saw they were both ready and then shouted "Fight!"

Kili and Ripclaw stepped forward and began to circle each other. Kili sent out an experimental jab. Ripclaw flinched to the side to avoid it but obviously wasn't fazed. They continued to circle each other for a moment before Ripclaw sent out an experimental jab of his own. Kili dodged it and the one after it and threw a punch of his own. Ripclaw dodged feinted and threw a lazy kick. Kili blocked it and then cocked an eyebrow at him. Ripclaw grinned and said,

"Well if you don't want the freebies…"

Kili smirked and said, "I don't need them."

Ripclaw's smile twisted into something very dangerous, "If you say so."

Kili was suddenly aware of the tension filled silence of the crowd, the viscous-like atmosphere as everyone held their breath and realized that the crowd knew Ripclaw as a fighter, knew that this bout just flipped into something way more dangerous. Then his attention snapped back into what was happening in the ring just as Ripclaw crossed the distance between them with breath-taking speed.

Kili slammed his guard up in time to receive some truly punishing blows to his forearms. They rocked him back but then Kili dug in his heels and smacked back hard. Ripclaw parried it and kicked him in the side. Kili dropped his arm to block it, blocked it, but then Ripclaw just shifted his foot higher to kick him in the shoulder and then once more in the head. Kili stumbled sideways and got his guard back up and looked up to see that Ripclaw had danced away.

"Maybe you should have taken those freebies," he suggested.

Kili shook his head to clear his thoughts and to get back in the game. He focused on his opponent, who was surely only playing him. Ripclaw was fast and strong and agile, he didn't favour either infighting or outfighting, he didn't intimidate easy and he was definitely dangerous. Kili suddenly grinned as the thrill of the fight finally flooded his veins. He was going to have so much fun.

"You should really only give away when you've got to give," Kili taunted back, "or you might lose something you can't afford to."

"Oh, I think my pocket's deeper than yours," Ripclaw said without missing a beat.

"Sorry," said Kili, "I think I'm going to clean you out tonight."

Ripclaw smirked, "Why don't we bet on it?"

"Sure," said Kili and tossed himself in a foot first dive across the ring. As expected Ripclaw sidestepped him. Kili pushed up with his hands as he was sliding and came up on one knee next to him and punched Ripclaw in the knee.

Ripclaw crashed to the floor and instantly rolled away. Kili threw himself after him and then they were both grappling on the floor. Kili got him in a hold but he wriggled out and then rolled away and popped to his feet and threw himself at Kili just as he got up. Kili blocked the first two blows, caught a shattering kick on his left and an elbow to the right.

Kili hit out as he was withdrawing the elbow and hit him square in the face then ducked, coming up from beneath his guard and whipped a vicious uppercut to Ripclaw's stomach. He grunted and slammed an elbow downwards. Kili jerked back but it still glanced off his eyebrow and split the skin. He ignored the blood and snapped out a front kick which Ripclaw dodged gracefully and then stepped forward. Kili jabbed again with his left hand, only this time Ripclaw's hand also snaked out. Only he didn't go for Kili's head or body. He went for his arm instead. Kili let out a curse as Ripclaw's fingers scored down the length of his arm as he withdrew it. Ripclaw danced backwards with ridiculous grace to the other side of the ring and regarded Kili. Kili eyed him and then risked a look at his arm which was aching. He was unsurprised to see five red lines on his arm. He was surprised at how much they hurt though. He hadn't felt any nails as Ripclaw had dragged his fingers along his arm so that meant that he had some incredible finger strength. But still, it shouldn't hurt that much. Kili decided to shrug it off.

He stalked towards Ripclaw who watched him amused and came to meet him. He jabbed at Kili, who blocked most of them and then tried to throw a left jab of his own and gasped as he did so. The pain was bad and his arm was moving too slow. Ripclaw ducked it with ease and then slammed a fist into Kili's face. Kili stumbled back then threw a right cross only for Ripclaw to drag his hand down that arm as well. Kili ignored the pain and dropped to the floor and spun sweeping his foot out. Ripclaw went down, rolled into a crouch and tackled him from there. Kili got hit over onto his back and was pinned. He bucked viciously and got an elbow into the space between Ripclaw's neck and shoulder and wiggled out.

He got to his feet but Ripclaw came up behind him and Kili felt his fingers rake over his back. He hissed and delivered a back kick. It connected but Ripclaw's hand raked down his leg too. Kili hissed and drew back his leg and spun and planted his feet and then almost fell as his leg buckled. For a moment he was perplexed. Then he understood. And felt really, really dense.

He cursed and threw himself out of the way of Ripclaw. He dodged again and found himself backed into the corner. At the moment Kili wasn't too bothered. Being in the corner gave him something to rest his weight on while his leg recovered and lowered the chances of any kicks which would send him off his feet in seconds. He blocked and occasionally landed blows with his elbows while working out how to get around what that son of an orc had done.

Because Ripclaw, wasn't an arbitrary name. That finger strength that Kili had shrugged off had been used to devastating effect by drawing those very painful lines in-between his muscle groups. Ordinarily Kili could take blows on his muscles. Everyone could. However between the muscles themselves, right in those lines which define all those nice looking bulges, were the sensitive spots. They hurt a lot and harming them specifically, caused reaction time to slow due to the damage And Ripclaw had targeted those points very specifically. Kili had to grudgingly gave the strategy some points. It was clever.

It was clear that he could recover from the damage as his leg was holding up a bit better but equally clear from the beating he was taking, he wouldn't recover fast enough. So Kili quickly took stock in the few moments he had before Ripclaw finally burst open his guard. Straight out punches he couldn't do, not without leaving himself open to attack and they wouldn't do the damage he want them to anyway. Grappling was out because his strength was compromised. Aerial stunts was out because of his leg and that made any ground work out too because he wasn't sure how fast he would get up. Chances are if he hit the floor he wouldn't be able to get back up. Going out of the open would be bad because then the kicks would return and he didn't have good enough balance, not yet, but staying in the corner wasn't an option.

Kili gritted his teeth and timed it right. In that split second when both of Ripclaw's hands were drawn back, Kili reached out and pushed as hard as he could. It was unexpected and Ripclaw stumbled back a half step. It was enough however for Kili to step forward and jab as hard as he could, hissing as he did so, while he was off balance. That earned him another step back which was really all he wanted because now he wasn't quite in the corner but there was still no good room for an effective kick. He stepped forwards, planted his feet and rammed his elbow into to Ripclaw's guard, blowing it open. He used the same elbow to deliver a glancing blow to Ripclaw's face. Ripclaw barely flinched from it though and used his left hand to punch at Kili. Kili blocked it, received a harsh blow to the face, grinned, because really the Lion Prince had failed up to meet Mr. Dwalin's strength and Ripclaw was strong but definitely not as strong as the Lion Prince, and grabbed his arm and pulled him forward and gave him and elbow to the chin. Ripclaw's head snapped back and as it bounce back forward Kili whipped another one of those elbows to the side of his face and then another on the other side of his face. Then while he was clearly dazed, Kili risked it and hooked his damaged leg around Ripclaw's lead leg and pulled. Ripclaw stumbled dropping and rocking forward and Kili delivered an elbow to the top of his head and then another and another and another. Then he grabbed his hair, yanked him back up and then delivered his final elbow and combined it with an upraised knee. Ripclaw's head was sandwiched between those to crunching blows and when Kili stepped back, he dropped to the floor unconscious.

Kili just stood for a moment breathing before the roar of the crowd rushed over him and brought him back to an awareness that expanded beyond the ring. The ringmaster came on screaming unintelligible things as usual and lifted Kili's hand proclaiming him to be the victor. Kili dredged up a killer smile from somewhere, somehow managed to raise his hands above his head in victory and then gladly stumbled out of the ring. He limped over to the doorway to the backroom where he had left his water. When he reached there, on some sudden instinct, he turned and looked clear across the other side of the compound and met frigid blue eyes. The Lion Prince regarded him coolly from where he was leaning against the doorway of the Den fighters' waiting room and then he turned and disappeared into the darkness beyond the door.


	21. Chapter 21

Kili swigged his water and leaned back against the wall to hide his trembling as the adrenaline left his body and watched the rest of the fights with interest, sizing up the winners and committing their styles to memory for later use. Of the remaining fights, Foehammer, Wizard, D.I.N.A.O, Wildfire, Sting, Diamondbone, RingMaster and Butcher won. That left nine den fighters in the running so far and only six non-den fighters. Then only the Lion Prince's match was left.

The crowd was hyped up as usual. His opponent, Danger, gave a little shrug, took a deep breath and then walked up to the ring with a big smile, shouting back to the crowd. Kili sorely wished him well. He had never seen him fight before. Next to him Graylin came to stand.

"Have you seen him fight?" Kili asked him cocking an eyebrow to Danger.

"I've seen them both," Graylin replied, eyes never leaving the ring.

"What do you think the outcome will be?" Kili asked.

"Whoever the better fighter is, will win."

Kili gave him a look. Graylin ignored it. Kili sighed but got the message. He refocused on the ring. The Lion Prince had already entered and the referee was giving them the rules. He watched as they both nodded and then retreated to their corners. There was a beat of silence and then referee shouted fight and the world exploded into noise.

Blows exchanged, blood flew, there was the cracking of kicks, the slam of bodies hitting the mat. The fight was short and brutal. Danger was a much better fighter than Kili would have expected. The match almost made it to two full minutes. But it was harsh. Danger was neither an out fighter or infighter. He was clever with his punches and fast. But the Lion Prince was faster. Faster and stronger. But Danger actually managed to avoid quite a few of his strikes and showed an amazing aptitude for taking those he did receive. But his downfall was grappling. He couldn't grapple. So it wasn't surprising that when the Lion Prince got him on the floor, the match came to an end ten seconds later.

The Lion prince rose to the cheers of the crowd. He lifted a hand in victory and the crowd roared. Then he spun and walked out of the ring. On Kili's side of the arena. Kili's eyes narrowed and he stiffened as the Lion Prince strolled towards him. The other fighters cleared out of his way and Graylin stepped away from his side. Kili knew he wasn't abandoning him but this was between Kili and the Lion Prince and Kili was grateful. He didn't need to appear weak. The Lion Prince walked to him and stopped about a foot away and fixed his frigid blue eyes on Kili's black, smoldering ones.

There was a moment of tense silence and then the Lion Prince spoke, "If you intend to have a chance, pup, maybe you should you fight like you know how to."

Kili's eyes flashed and he opened his mouth to reply but the Lion Prince turned around and walked out. Kili's mouth remained opened for a few seconds more but then he clicked his teeth sharply together knowing anything he said now would sound childish. He glared at his back and vowed silent, unspecified acts of violence on him. Anger and pride and determination churning inside him, he turned and snatch up his bag and started to walk out. Two step later Kili stopped and twisted back,

"Hey," he said. The Lion Prince turned back with an eyebrow raised.

Kili turned to face him fully and said quietly but clearly, "I will meet you in the final and I will beat you." It was not a threat but rather a promise. A promise between fighters. One that said: you are worthy of my attention because of your skill. I acknowledge you and find you a worthy and honorable opponent.

The Lion Prince smiled and his eyes, while they didn't thaw, something in them lit up with true approval. "I'd like to see you try." And it too was a promise. Kili nodded and turned and walked away.

His entry back into Erebor Corps was thankfully event-less. Nori came and let him in himself, all the while giving him this shifty, mean eye. Kili gave a little wince and tried to apologize but Nori cut him off saying that only when he meant it, should he say it. Nori actually wasn't trying to be mean when he said it to him but it had hurt. Kili had winced some more but any other words had stuck in his throat because Nori had a point. Because even though Kili was sorry, he wasn't going to stop and he knew it. He couldn't.

He made his way up to his room and began his after fight routine, of tending to himself. His arms and legs hurt. A lot. And Ripclaw had raised some terrifying looking wails on his skin that looked worse now than they had in the ring. The cut on his eyebrow was bad but it didn't need stitches, thankfully. Along with all that he had a random assortment of bruises. He took a bath, smeared salve over his cuts and bruises, tossed down tried and proven pain killers and collapsed in his bed. It was just past three o'clock in the morning.

* * *

Getting up at six in the morning was not fun. Kili groaned, fumbled with his alarm cloak, came near throwing it at the wall but then grudging remembered that it was his fault he was feeling this way and spared it. He got up painfully, changed and headed to training. Luck was on his side in that Uncle Thorin wasn't there. Luck however abandoned him in that Mr. Dwalin was waiting for him.

Kili took one look at him and went for his gloves and got into the ring. Mr. Dwalin gave the wails on his arms a solemn look and then nodded to himself and proceeded to beat whatever life was left in Kili, out of him.

Surprisingly however, when they were done, Kili's arms and legs felt remarkably better. He was sitting on the floor drinking water when he became aware of the commotion happening in the building. The rest of the people in the training room became aware as well and most of them stopped training, to listen to what was happening outside of the room.

Kili levered himself of the floor and followed Mr. Dwalin out of the room, frowning. They followed the general sound of upset to lobby where they found many people rushing up and down. Some were being carried to the medical center while others were being interviewed by the police.

"What happened?" asked Kili feeling his stomach tie itself into knots. No one answered him. He looked around for someone he knew but everyone seemed busy. He spotted his uncle but Thorin was also speaking to the police and Mr. Dwalin had disappeared into the crowd. Finally Kili caught sight of his mother and made his way over to her.

"Mom!" he called.

She turned at the sound of his voice. "What happened?" he asked indicating the general area.

Dis focused on him, noted the cut over his eye, frowned but let it go and answered.

"The O.R.C.S. attacked another one of our customers last night. The team managed to hold them off but the customer has suffered extensive property damage over the course of it and quite a lot of our people were hurt. No one was killed but three of them are in critical condition."

Kili let out a hiss of anger and sympathy. "Darn!" he said. "Damn!"

His mother let out a sigh. "I agree with you," she told him. "I'm going to help Nori work out the security footage to give to the police and to examine ourselves. Go to Mr. Balin and see what he has to give you to do. We need everyone right now."

Kili nodded and took off towards Mr. Balin after calling Ori and finding where he might be. Ori met him in one of the corridors and both of them made their way to Mr. Balin's office. Balin frowned when he saw them but nodded when he heard Dis' request.

"Head over to the attack scene," he told them, "The new defenses we installed helped but they obviously got past those. Nori wants to know what they did exactly, to get past them. Get a pass from the police first though," he cautioned them.

They both nodded and headed off to work.


	22. The Sun I'd Forgotten.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THe Lion Prince and D.I.N.A.O spar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all those to read, commented and gave kudos!!

I punish the bag under my fists, breath coming harder and faster as I increase my speed. Eyes on my back. It isn't the dragon. These are child's eyes. A dangerous child, but a child none the less. D.I.N.A.O is watching me. He both hates me and… not love, he owes me and there is some positive emotion he feels towards me. We are enemies who are only enemies because we have been set against each other for the amusement and benefit of our owner.

Long ago he had been a small weak child, prone to tears and defeat. He should have been dead, he would have been dead. But long ago I was a child too. A different child. Honorable, good, indignant. I had fought against the flow; I used to reach for the sun. I fought the dragon and lost the war but not before I won some battles. I helped train D.I.N.A.O and he survived. Defeat Is Not An Option. But he lost the first day he sought the dragon's approval. He has been consumed by dragon fire. He is wholly the dragon's. And I, I am not.

I keep punching and wait for him to speak. After a moment he does.

"The bag isn't ever going to hit back," he said. I turn to look at him and he quirked an eyebrow towards the sparring ring. I appear to consider and then walk towards it.

We get in and face each other and I can see in his eyes that something has changed in me. We are mirror images he and I if I am pool in light and he a pool at night. Blue eyes and blond hair, a little wild, smooth stance and cat like reflexes, substantial power behind any of our blows. He is probably the only fighter here that has the potential to beat me and he resents that he has not yet made that leap. But that is only the background to our life. What remains to be seen is if this encounter will be one of friendship or enmity. He wants to tell me something. And I want to know what it is.

We start, moving almost without thought. We spar for awhile before he break through my guard and lands one to my face. I take the hit and retaliate almost as fast and twice as vicious.

He rocks backward with the force of my blow and then snap back forwards and spits out, "There!"

I drop into a defensive position and cock my head at him.

"It's there again," he said. He does not say it like a good thing.

"What?" I ask shortly.

He leans forward and smiles and his eyes light up. We are mirror images he and I.

I tense and he strikes at that moment: a feint and then he swipe my legs out from under me. I fall, roll and get back up in time to block his next blow and put in one of my own which sends him flying.

He get back up and wipes the blood from his mouth. "You lost that war already," he told me.

I lunge for him, he side-steps me and I spin and nail him in the jaw. He grabs my arm and yanks and delivers an elbow to my ribs.

"There is no light but dragon fire!" he rasps. I hit him in the stomach.

He blocks the next hit and kicks my knee.

"You've lived in the dark. You know that! This is the Den! There is no getting out!"

I ax-kick him and send him to the floor. He pops back up and hits me with a roundhouse kick. I block it and grab his leg and yank him forward and attempt to punch him. He grabs my fist and glares at me.

"Don't reach for the sun…Fili!" he hisses harshly.

I narrow my eyes then rip away my hand and deliver the final punch. His body slumps to the ground behind me as I walk out of the ring.

I strip off my gloves and hold my hands under the water. They're shaking. But not with pain, not with the fatigue of muscles. They're shaking with rage. All of me is shaking with rage. And I don't even know why. I am twisted, frozen into crystal by dragon fire, a walking, ticking time bomb before I cross a line I cannot uncross. I am all but dead inside. Uncaring, unable to be fazed. And still I shake with rage.

I stare at my shaking hands and then jerk my head up and away from the sight of them and find myself staring in the mirror. Find myself staring into cold, frozen, blue eyes. Cold, frozen blue eyes, with a light inside. And then I know. I am not mad that it's there, nor am I mad that D.I.N.A.O saw it. I am mad because I could not hide it. Because I want it. I want the light. Because if I cannot hide it then the Dragon can see it.

_Don't let him see the sun Fili._

_Don't let him know that you know that there is fire hotter and brighter than his._

_Don't let him know that you reach for it._

Childhood thoughts. Childhood memories. I close my eyes trying to push them back, trying to hide them, but the light blooms behind my eyelids until it forms a sun. A sun that looks a lot like the fire in the eyes of the black haired fighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you had fun guys!   
> Thoughts?


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kili has a chat with Ori and then with the Lion Prince.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoy!!!

After they had finished their work for Mr. Balin and reported in Kili and Ori took a break and went to get coffee. They sat down in the café with their drinks and drank for a few moments in silence both rather sober in light of their investigations. After a while though Ori stirred and leaned forward.

Kili noticed and looked up. "What is it?" he asked.

Ori gave a wan little smile and then said, "Can I ask you something?"

"Well, yeah," said Kili, feeling wary.

"Why?" said Ori simply.

"Why?" repeated Kili.

"Yes," said Ori, "Why? We've asked you before, but you would never tell us. I don't know if you'll ever change your mind but I'd thought I'd ask again. Why do you do it? Why do you go out and fight? And don't try to pass it off as a cheap thrill. We all know it's not. Kili, I know it's not. We've been friends for years Kili. And my job is to see things. I see the angles the others don't always. I know you're not doing this for any thrill. You've put in too much effort, too much heart in this. You like to fight but not this much. It's almost like you're searching for something but never finding it and you think that the deeper you go in the better chance you have of finding it."

Kili stiffened. Ori looked at him and said softly, "You are, aren't you? Well I hope whatever it is you find it fast. Because Kili, your time is running out. You can't keep doing this forever. Thorin isn't going to stand for it and you can't keep this up Kili. You'll run yourself to the ground or you'll run yourself out of house and home. Your mother lost one child, she can't lose you too. And Thorin can't lose you either."

"I know!" Kili snapped.

"Then find it fast," Ori told him. "There are bigger things happening right now than you and soon you'll have to choose. So find it fast."

Kili sighed and relaxed and unclenched his fists. "I know. This is the last time Ori. If I don't find what I'm looking for now, then it will be have been lost forever," He said and tried to ignore the way his heart clenched. "But I don't think it is lost and it's worth it Ori. It is worth every bit of it."

"Alright," said Ori, "But you may have less time than you think. The O.R.C.S. are here Kili. They're back and literally out of our childhood nightmares. We can't afford to be distracted. We slip up once and they'll take more than just jewels. And I know you know that. But it never seems real until it happens. And I'm quite happy without that realization thank you!"

Kili huffed out a laugh and then sobered. "You're right," he said, "But I have to do this!"

"You're walking a fine line," Ori warned him.

"I know," said Kili, "But like I said, it is worth it."

* * *

The next week Kili was back in another fighting ring. The winners from Group A were going to fight each other and he wanted to see who was going to win. There would be several other matches not related to the tournament at first and then the two matches at the last. Kili patiently waited out the matches in front. He tried to get excited for them but found he just couldn't. He was too wound up for the last two matches to even begin to get excited for these unimportant ones.

At last however the matches came up. Killer vs. Troll and Slingshot vs. Graylin. Kili made his way over to the fighters' area to wish Graylin good luck. The bouncers let him through, recognizing him and he met Graylin, gave him a friendly punch to the shoulder and said:

"Good luck man."

Graylin snorted and said, "I don't need luck. But thanks for the thought anyway."

Kili scowled but then laughed and said, "Beat the shit out of him!"

"With pleasure," said Graylin and walked off. Kili watched him go and then was about to make his way back to the crowd when movement by the door leading to the fighter's room caught his eye. He turned to see what it was and met cold, blue eyes. He and the Lion Prince locked eyes for a while before the Lion Prince tilted his head in invitation and he himself went and leaned against the wall where he could get a good view of the ring. Kili hesitated and then walked over and leaned on the wall next to him.

In the ring Killer and Troll are just starting. They watch for awhile. They are both Den fighters so they're good, better than the average ring fighter for sure.

"He is going to lose," said the Lion Prince.

Kili hated to ask it but he said, "Who?" Because as far as he could see they were both about evenly matched.

"Troll," said the Lion Prince, "He tries too hard, depends on his own strengths too much. He doesn't have his whole head in the game."

Kili watched the fighters and wondered if they were watching the same fight. Troll seemed pretty invested in the fight as far as he could tell.

"But he gives Killer the slip a lot. Killer isn't actually landing a lot of blows," Kili retorted.

"He will," said the Lion Prince. His eyes flickered to Kili and he said, almost in disgust "You don't see it."

Kili opened his mouth to retort something but the Lion Prince cut him off with a look. Kili clenched his jaw and turned his attention back to the fight, paying greater attention to the fighters. Of the two Troll was landing more blows but they were barely slowing Killer. Killer was moving…carefully like he was trying to see something. Doubtless these two had faced each other before while training. They knew each other which was making this fight all the more interesting because they knew each other so well.

After a moment Kili decided to throw pride to wind, at least for a moment, and ask, "Why is Troll's head not in the game?"

For an answer the Lion Prince's eyes flickered to the dark screen of glass set up for the private viewing room where the owners of the rings usually sat.

"The dragon watches," he said, half-mockingly.

"Oh," said Kili as it all fell in place. "Troll needs to win this."

"He is a fool," said the Lion Prince dispassionately.

"But won't Killer…" Kili began.

"Killer has nothing to prove," the Lion Prince said smoothly and Kili knew that the message hiding in there was for him.

He narrowed his eyes and said, "I have nothing to prove."

The Lion Prince lifted an eyebrow, "You don't?" The disbelief was rich.

Kili clenched his hands, "Not here. I don't have to prove anything here." Under his breath he added "I have something to find."

In the ring Killer knocked out Troll. His hand was lifted and he yelled and celebrated his victory but Kili swore he saw, just for a second, a look of pure hatred. It wasn't aimed at anyone but Kili thought he had never seen a look so full of vitriol.

"He really is like a Troll," said the Lion Prince watching the body of Troll being dragged out, "When it comes down to the truth, the light, he becomes brittle."

"Don't Trolls turn to stone in daylight?" asked Kili.

"But what can you do as a stone? All you can do is stay there while everyone break you down. You can't defend yourself. You're useless, pathetic."

For some reason Kili's temper snapped, probably because he couldn't ever imagine talking about any of the company like that and this was the Lion Prince's Denmate and he should think better of him.

So his mouth opened and he snapped, "Some Lion Prince you are! You call yourself a lion but where's your pride? It's obviously not there!" and he indicated Killer and Troll, "and I wonder why. Maybe you should wonder why you don't have one!"

For the second time Kili saw those eyes become something other than cold and hard. The Lion Prince's body tensed and a fierce, burning light sprung into his eyes and it promised murder.

"Lions don't play with dragons," he hissed.

"But they belong to them?" Kili asked, knowing he was courting death.

The Lion Prince's eyes froze over and he leaned back against the wall. "Yes," he said, "If they're smart enough."

Kili regarded him with disgust, "How can you say that?!"

The Lion Prince smiled and rolled his head along the wall so that it was tilted towards Kili, "Cub," he said with amused, condescending pity, "I'm still alive, that's how I show I'm smart." He turned back to watch the fight between Graylin and Slingshot and Kili realized that he was trembling. He didn't even quite know why but there was something there, a threat that wasn't coming from the Lion Prince but a threat that he let him see a glimpse of. And Kili was struck with a sudden certainty that something was wrong here. Terribly wrong here. He wanted to find out but was too afraid. He decided to push it all out of his mind and focused on the fight.

Graylin wasn't as fast as Slingshot but he was fast enough to hold his own. Kili hoped he won. Graylin landed a solid punch and Kili shouted in celebration.

At the same time the Lion Prince said, "Cut around him idiot." Kili glanced at him and realized that he was talking to or rather at Slingshot. Kili hoped he hid his surprise. Slingshot attempted to cut around Graylin but Graylin would have none of it and he kicked Slingshot hard.

"Yes!" Kili shouted.

The Lion Prince rolled his eyes. And a new voice commented:

"He moves too fast without thinking and when he does think it's too slow. That's our Slingshot."

Kili turned to see Killer coming out of the room drinking a bottle of water. He was a well-muscled man in his late twenties with inky black hair. He gave Kili a friendly grin, still somewhat smeared with blood, and came over and leaned on the wall a little way further off.

"Duck, you fool," said Killer a few seconds later. Slingshot did not duck and Graylin got inside his guard delivered a solid punch and danced away again.

"Idiot," muttered the Lion Prince.

"Go Graylin!" Kili yelled for the express purpose of pissing off his fellow watchers. He was perversely delighted to receive a dirty look from Killer. The Lion Prince didn't seem to care about what Kili did.

The rest of the fight continued in the same way with Kili yelling encouragement and the two Den fighter's berating their companion and alternatively telling him what to do. Most of which Slingshot didn't do. Kili didn't blame him because a sideline view, he knew, was 20/20. In the end much to Kili's delight, Graylin won. Killer huffed and walked back into the room. The Lion Prince rocked off the wall, paused and then said, "You better start doing something cub. You'll lose the same way if you keep thinking the way you do. You're good but you can never win a fight beyond the one you have. You're a lot like Troll like that."

Kili glared at him and said, "I won't turn to stone in the sun, Lion Prince. I am the sun!" And with that he turned and walked away unaware of the startled blue eyes looking after him.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ORCS strike again...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little iffy about this chapter! Hope you all like it though!!   
> Thanks to all those who gave kudos and commented!!!

The next night was a work night again and Kili and the rest of the company were all in their positions along with another squad from Erebor Corps.; with the attacks they were doubling security. So Kili soon found himself in room scanning the area though his scope and in another room down the hall from him another sniper was there scanning the area behind the building. The building was three stories tall. The ground floor was the display cases where the jewelry were normally placed during the day. At night all of it was removed and placed in a safe on the same floor. There were a few exceptions which remained in their display cases however but those cases had individual safety measures. The middle floor was where the jewelry was made as this particular company made the jewelry it sold and hired many jewelers to work for them. The top floor consisted of office space and several rooms which were used by appraisers who worked for the company. The building also had roof access so there were eight people up there on various vantage points. There were three other people on the top floor besides Kili and the other sniper. The second floor had six people on it and the ground floor held seven.

Everyone was on edge waiting to see if anything would happen. Kili sincerely hoped not. Ever since the attacks began things started to look bad for Erebor Corps but things went from bad to worse when it became apparent that the major connection between the attacks was Erebor Corps. The O.R.C.S were attacking the places because Erebor Corps were guarding them. Needless to say, bad for business.

At three o'clock in the morning Kili was just beginning to think that perhaps they'd have an uneventful night after all when the other sniper radioed in saying that he had spotted movement behind the building. Kili cursed and swept the area at the front of the building again like he had been doing for hours. It was on his second sweep back he saw movement. He radioed it in and heard Thorin bark orders to the others. The teams readied themselves for the onslaught and Kili heard Nori calling in the police. However they all knew it would be a few minutes before the police reached and they all knew how much damage could be done in a few minutes.

The attack began suddenly. Shots peppered the windows, the walls, the iron grill that covered the storefront. The glass was bullet proof but Kili didn't know how long they'd stand up to being hit like that. Once the assault started, motorcycles roared up the road and more Orcs appeared. Kili aimed and shot, trying to keep the mass of attackers from forcing the front entrance. The team stationed on the roof was doing the same but they were conserving ammo because they didn't know if the ORCS would attack the roof again and they needed to be prepared for if they did. The attack was going as well as attacks can for the first few minutes. The attackers had been smart and chosen to attack when Kili and the others were fatigued from their long vigil. However the building was not breached and they seemed to be holding their own. Then Kili noticed something strange in the mass of bodies outside. The ORCS seemed to be setting up something. He shot but kept an eye on it. It quickly took shape and looked like…a ramp? A ramp? Kili frowned then noticed the motorbikes. They couldn't be…. What were they thinking? It was then he noticed the Orc holding the RPG. The RPG aimed at the second floor, just below where he was. Kili shouted a warning and pushed himself away from the widow and then the RPG hit the building. The shock of it knocked him off his feet and rocked the building. He pushed himself to his feet carefully, avoiding the glass which had partially shattered on impact.

According to the team in the second floor, the RPG hadn't done a lot of damage. It had just taken out a nice sized hole in the wall. The building was somewhat unsteady but not too bad. They couldn't take another hit like that though. Kili however was wondering what that was all about because honestly why not use the RPG on the ground entrance? Then he remembered the ramp. The ramp and the bikes and the hole in the wall.

"Thorin!" he yelled, "They are going to drive the bikes to the second story and take us down like that!"

"What?!" yelled Thorin but at that moment Kili heard motorbikes rev dangerously and he ran back over to the window only to see the bikes head for the ramp. Thorin had obviously had managed to see that as well, from where he was because the next words he yelled were, "Kili! Shoot them!"

Kili hurried to comply but the time he had his rifle up the first of the bike were already in the air. Kili locked down in an instant; every part of him streaming in a sharp focus, where the only thing he was seeing was his target and his body moved without thought to make blood blossom where his gaze rested. It was the closest thing to 'if looks could kill.'

Kili shot the first one in the head and then shot the bike, throwing its momentum off and causing it to crash well before its target, he got the second one in the air as well and the third just as its front wheel cleared the ramp. The fourth bike in like didn't make it to the ramp. There wasn't a fifth in line. Oh well. Kili turned his gaze to the other bikes which were still zooming around. Blood bloomed in rapid succession and bikes skidded taking out Orcs in their way.

The team on the roof reported that ORCS were now zip-lining in. Instead of attaching their line to the roof though, where it would have been taken care of by the defenses Nori had installed, they had opted to attach the zip line a bit below it and then climb up. Kili abandoned his post and ran to the side of the building where the Orcs were coming in.

Unfortunately the only window there was a small window high in the wall. Kili had no idea what its purpose was because it was just so small and awkwardly placed but it was all he had. He also had to stand on someone's expensive looking wooden desk to reach it. He did reach it though and pushed it open and sighted his first target coming out of the gloom like a nightmare in the dark. Kili shot him. And he shot the Orc after him too. The ORCS on the line tried to shoot him back but the small window worked in his favour giving them a very small target to hit and the average Orc wasn't a sniper. He dropped them like he was working on an assembly line until they stopped coming and the wailing sirens of police vehicles sounded.

It was only then Kili stopped shooting and pulled his rifle away from the window. And it was only then he realized how much he was shaking. Not with fear, certainly with exhaustion but mostly with frustration. He was surprised at himself. Frustration was not what he thought he'd be feeling right now. He shrugged it off and got off the table achingly. He walked a few steps forward before he suddenly understood that his frustration had nothing to do with what had happened tonight. No his frustration had everything to do with what had happened last night and that frustration had bled over into his job, into his calm but vicious shooting of the O.R.C.S. And that scared him. It scared him enough that he started shaking all over again.

* * *

Kili stumbled to the ground floor in time to see police officers swarming around the building. He was feeling strangely lightheaded now and his body just wanted to crash onto the floor and stay right there. Another squad car pulled up and a man in a long, dark leather coat came out holding a badge.

"I'm detective Bard Bowman," he announced in a no-nonsense tone, "Who's in change here?"

Kili saw his Uncle emerge from somewhere and head towards the man. He tried to do the same but his leg buckled and his head spun. Someone caught him on the way down and steadied him.

"Easy lad," said a familiar voice.

"Bofur?" he said.

"Well at least your brain is working well," Bofur replied cheerfully.

"Not as well as you hope," Kili said without thinking.

"I hardly doubt it ever woks as well as I hope," Bofur said, "so that's not too much of a change." Bofur turned his head and addressed someone behind them while Kili was trying to think up a suitable insult in reply.

"Oi! Bring some water over here!"

"Wait!' said Kili. He jerked his head to where his Uncle was talking to the detective, "I want to hear what they saying."

Bofur sighed and helped Kili walk over to where the pair was. On the way someone caught up with them and brought the bottle of water. Kili sipped from it gratefully and focused on his uncle.

Thorin had just finished give the detective the details of the attack. The detective jotted down the last of his notes and said, "That's a very concerning story, Mr. Durin. However I find it even more concerning that the only attacks were made on business guarded by Erebor Corps."

"We had nothing to do with this if that is what you're insinuating!" Thorin growled.

"Not at all, Mr. Durin," said Detective Bowman he opened his mouth to continue but Thorin cut him off.

"If haven't realizes the Orcs are targeting jewelry stores. And we happen to be a company that guards jewelry stores. Obviously we are going to be here."

"Yes," but you're not the only security company out there Mr. Durin," said the detective, "and none of the jewelry stores guarded by them have been attacked despite the fact that some of them have been less heavily guarded. As that evidence stands I suggest for the safety of your clients that you pull out of contract with them and advise them to get another company at least for the time being until the O.R.C.S. are caught."

Kili and Bofur winced simultaneously.

"You expect me to run from this?" said Thorin dangerously, "You really think I would let these criminals drive me out of business?! Think again Detective!" he spat out. Before Bowman could say anything else Thorin brushed past him and began shouting out orders to his men.

"Oh dear," said Kili.

"You took the words right out of my mouth lad," sighed Bofur.

Detective Bowman looked after Thorin and then shook his head in disgust and went over to some of the officers on scene.

* * *

When Kili got home he was instantly bowled over by his worried and fawning mother and then sent to the infirmary. Kili wisely put up no fuss and went to be treated. When he got to the infirmary he discovered that he had numerous tiny cuts on his face from somewhere, his trigger finger was sore, he had a burn on his forearm from a hot shell, his left arm was hurting a lot from the recoil of the rifle and he was still dehydrated. The doctors patched him up, gave him electrolytes to drink and sent him to bed. He stumbled to his room and passed out in the process of falling onto his bed.

He awoke somewhere in the evening feeling terribly thirsty. So he got up painfully and sleepily and got himself a glass of water. Drinking too fast had him feeling slightly nauseous so he was forced to sit down and drink it slowly. The second glass of water though he was able to chug down. When he was finished though he found that he had now well and truly woken up. And now that he was up he didn't want to be inside.

A few moments later he had slipped out of the building, caught a cab and then got out somewhere on the other side of the city and walked along the streets just looking around and clearing his head. Half an hour later his stomach announced forcefully that it was hungry. Kili looked around at where he was to see if he spotted any food places close by. Sure enough, just ahead of him, across the road was a sunny little café, boldly labeled THE GREEN DOOR, which did in fact, have a green door. A round green door.

Kili crossed the road and went in. Inside was quaint little place, all wooden and beautifully sanded. Inside was cooler than the outside but not cold, and there was a pleasant scent of greenery and a hint of spice floating through the air. Kili was instantly charmed.

"Nice place this," he said to himself. Then louder, since there was no one in sight, "Hello? Anyone there?"

"Oh, yes, yes!" said a man voice from somewhere in the back, "Give me a moment. Don't want the buns to burn."

Kili shoved his hands in his pockets and waited and soon a little man blustered in from the back.

"Yes, hello," he said, "What can I do for you?"

"Um," said Kili, "Well what's on the menu?"

"Oh," said the man. He picked up a laminated piece of paper from the counter and held it out for Kili. Kili took it and studied the choices on the menu.

Finally he chose two chicken enchiladas, two beef pies, two sugar buns and a cup of coffee. At the last selection the man huffed.

"I don't know why I opened a tea shop if all anyone wants is coffee!" he muttered under his breath and hurried off towards the back with Kili's order.

A few moments later he was back with Kili's things on a tray. Kili paid him and then despite the little man's protests transferred the tray from the counter to the table himself. The little man looked so offended however that Kili said, "Hey, why don't you get a cup of you tea and join me? I could use the company."

The little man looked surprised and then indecisive but perhaps something in Kili's face must have swayed him because he nodded and soon was sitting opposite Kili with a cup of steaming, fragrant tea.

"This is really good," said Kili already on his second enchilada.

"Thank you," said the man, looking pleased.

"My name is Kili, by the way," Kili said.

"Bilbo Baggins," said Bilbo and held out his hand.

Kili shook it and smiled at him.

"So, you don't look like you're from around here, Mr. Baggins, " he said.

"Oh no," said Bilbo, "I recently moved in from the Shire."

"The Shire!" said Kili, "That's a pretty big move."

"Yes," sighed Bilbo, and Kili could tell he missed it. "But an old friend of my mother's decided that a change of place and pace would be good for me. He said I'm growing stagnant and unsociable. Me! Unsociable! Of all the things! But he's an old meddler and I've been trying to stop him in the three months it took to move here and it didn't work so here I am. But that wasn't enough for him so he made me open this store! Not that I don't like the tea shop, I do, but no one else seems to appreciate tea in this city!"

Kili laughed. Poor little man. He would do fine in Dale as far as Kili was concerned. He had fire.

"Well I'm glad you came," said Kili, "This is the best food I've eaten in ages and the best coffee too."

"Well, thank you," said Bilbo. "Now any chance of you telling me why you look like someone attacked your face with a grater?"

Kili choked. When he finally got air back into his lungs he gasped out: "What?"

"Your face," said Bilbo, "It's all cut up and your arms too, a bit."

"I know,' said Kili, "But it doesn't look that bad."

"Well then," said Bilbo, primly "I don't want to know what you would call bad."

Kili laughed and began to explain that he was in a firefight. Then he had to explain why he was in a firefight in the first place. Once he was done, Bilbo sighed.

"Well now, that was exciting and unexpected. Not really my taste in things you understand. I much prefer just watching those things on TV or reading about them. But all the same I do hope you'll be careful. I'd honestly hate to see your picture on the news saying you got shot."

"I'd hate that too," said Kili, finding that for some reason he liked Bilbo. Perhaps it was because Bilbo was so different from the people he was usually around, quite the opposite in fact. And he was soothing to talk to.

In a split second decision Kili said, "Hey Bilbo, can I ask you something?"

Bilbo frowned at him, obviously sensing something was up, "Of course."

"When, when um, when I was shooting those ORCS last night, I, I was taking out my frustration from something else on them. And, and it feels wrong and…"

"Hold on a second," said Bilbo, "You were frustrated because of something before,"

"Yes," said Kili.

"And when you were shooting, you acted on that frustration."

"Yes," said Kili.

"And shooting with emotions isn't something you do normally."

"No," said Kili. "You're taught to shoot clinically. Shooting with emotion is dangerous because it is easy to cross a line like that. You don't let your emotions bleed out or cloud your judgment. I've always shot like that but this time I didn't and I didn't even realize it until it was over and it scared me the way I went about doing it and…"

"And you're wondering if you're a bad person," Bilbo finished for him.

"Yes," said Kili and swallowed hard.

Bilbo thought about it for a few moments and then said, "I don't think it makes you evil," he said finally, "I think it just means you're human. We all get moments where our emotions cloud our judgment and make us do things we wouldn't normally do. It doesn't make us bad. Sometimes those moments turn out to be good things and those are the moments when the emotions push us towards a purer form of ourselves and sometimes those moments turn out to be bad and those are the moments that push us away from who we are and who we ought to be. In the latter case its usually the bad emotions that do that and all we can do afterwards is just make sure that in the future we don't do it again. It is only when we don't do anything to stop ourselves then we are bad. So, just try not to do it again and hold on to your true self and you'll be fine."

Kili stared at Bilbo and wondered how the little man could say exactly what he had needed to hear.

"Thank you," he said in pure heartfelt gratitude. Because what Bilbo had said had somehow applied to his entire life. It made the choices he had made and still had to make, not so bad and quieted his inner fears about the amount of trouble he caused for mother and uncle in the quest for his brother.

Bilbo suddenly seemed shy and said, "Well, it's the truth and that's nothing you have to thank me for."

Kili smiled at him and then glanced at the time and realized that he had to go. He took his leave of Bilbo and returned home feeling lighter of heart and more sure in his way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The comment button is singing your name!!!
> 
> Have a nice day/night!!!


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kili and Foehammer fight!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoy this one!! Thanks to all who read, commented and gave kudos!!

Things were tense for the next week for the Company. Thorin was so gruff that Kili would have missed the next fight night if he didn't have to fight. He snuck out though, with some help from Ori, who admonished him firmly to get his fight finished quickly and without bruises.

"For Mahal's sake Kili," he hissed, "We don't need Thorin more in a snitch than he is now!"

Kili agreed. He thanked Ori and made his way over to the next den in which he had to fight in. Once there, he was shown into the little waiting room where he went through his usual routine of preparing for a match. When he finished the matches were beginning and he came out to see the match between Unstoppable and Whiplash.

It was sincerely interesting. Even more interesting was the fact that Whiplash won; an outcome even Kili hadn't seen happening. He took some brutal punishment for it though but had kept getting back up. Kili decided that while he may not give, Whiplash sure could take it.

Then he was up. His name was announced and Kili put on his signature grin and ran into the ring shouting out to the crowd and then settled back into his corner quickly because really he didn't have the energy to waste.

Foehammer came in walking. He smiled at the crowd but did not hurry his footsteps or attempt to rile the crowd. He was of slim build, with dark hair pulled back into a short ponytail. His eyes were brown and almond shape and he wore a serene look on his face. Kili couldn't understand why someone who looked like that was named Foehammer. He didn't look like one and he had realized that all the den fighters were named for some aspect of themselves.

Kili could not remember much of his fight as it had been just after his own and he'd been tired. Foehammer slipped quietly between the ropes and gave Kili a quick bow of the head. Kili was surprised and returned it without thinking.

The referee called them into the middle of the ring, gave them their instructions and then sent them back to their corners. Before they left though, Foehammer said:

"Good luck."

"Good luck," Kili told him, surprised again.

Foehammer smiled at him and then his face smoothed out and there was a blank, hard mask in place. They retreated to their corners and the bell rang.

They started out circling each other. They both slinked around the ring and the crowd was silent. Foehammer, stepped in and circled closer. Kili stepped in next, closing the circle. Neither tried to attack yet. They both wanted to gauge the other.

All the while Kili kept in mind what the Lion Prince had said. To keep his head in the game and to not be distracted by trying to prove himself, or, truly, find who he was looking for.

Kili lost track of how long they circled each other. All that marked the passage of time was a list of Foehammer's weakness, the foot he put his weight on most often, how he held himself, how he moved.

They stopped moving, both of them, when they had mapped out each other to their satisfaction. When they saw that the other was ready, they started back to circle, this time in the opposite direction. Then Kili moved, he feinted left with a jab and hit right with a cross. Foehammer countered the blow and followed with a right cross of his own. Kili blocked and tried not to cry out. He danced back and Foehammer let him go.

After a moment, Foehammer came towards him, jabbed and then hit him with a roundhouse kick. Kili blocked both, but the kick from the other side he missed. It slammed brutally hard onto his ribs and they creaked.

Kili was quite aware, now, why Foehammer was called Foehammer. His slender frame clearly belied the power contained those limbs. Kili had finally found someone who hit harder than Mr. Dwalin.

Kili staggered from the kick, blocked the other punch and threw one of his own. Foehammer blocked it and Kili front-kicked him. Foehammer caught his leg and Kili jumped and his other heel slammed into Foehammer's chest. They both went down and Kili freed his trapped foot and scrambled away.

Foehammer popped to his feet a second later. He gave Kili a savage warrior's smile and settled into a fighters crouch. Kili settled into his own fighter's crouch. And grinned back.

The fight was on.

Kili didn't take in much of the fight. All he knew was that he was moving and Foehammer was moving. He registered the bone shattering blows landing on him and the throbbing running down his arms and legs as he landed blows of his own. Blood appeared. Running from his busted mouth, and running down his eyebrow.

Foehammer's blank mask was cracked by a red slash across his cheekbones, and a dark bruise on his chin. He danced across the ring, graceful and light on his feet, like wine swirling in a glass, deadly, intoxicating, in his motion.

Kili danced in the ring too, matching Foehammer's steps, blocking them, feet skipping over the floor, arms moving in concert, as fast as thought, blocking, hitting, diverting.

The crowd stared in absolute silence at the two fighters within the ring. If it wasn't for the sound of the blows cracking across the ring they would have thought that none of them had landed, and the recipient had indeed slipped away in time. The fighters didn't seem rocked by each other. Every stagger was turned into a new position, each rock, a way to build momentum, every blow, a way to learn something about your opponent. They hit the mat together and rolled back up together, detangling somehow on the way back up. It was like they both were made of immiscible, molten metal, thrown together and shaken. They slammed into each other, and slid around the other, tearing apart each other, but they'd reform in a moment and be just as strong, just as whole.

Kili was breathing hard but didn't notice it. Foehammer was breathing just as hard and he smiled inside wondering if the Black Mane knew that so many of his opponents were crippled after receiving half of the number of blows than the Black Mane had tonight. Probably not.

Kili in the meantime was focusing on the invisible shackles that wrapped around Foehammer. He could practically see them, and the chains they attached to, trailing behind him, moving, shifting with each move Foehammer made. Understanding came abruptly. Like the Lion Price, Foehammer wasn't the Dragon's and like the Lion Prince, he knew how to survive, was smart enough to. He wore the Dragon's chains, but he wasn't bowed under their weight.

Kili met his eyes and saw admiration in Foehammer's and a grim determination. He lifted his head and let him know he saw the chains that held him and then he let his burning desire, his focus show though. Foehammer smiled and tilted his head.

 _'Come and try then. If you can,'_ it said.

They stalked towards each other and in the center of the ring cool hardness met blazing fire.

There was flurry of blows and Kili, like he'd been doing all night, moved on instinct, blocking dodging, jabbing and throwing crosses and the occasional elbow. It seemed like it would never end, like he'd never melt through Foehammer's cold metal, but then, there it was, an opening; for a split second it was there. And for Kili tonight, that was long enough. He threw an uppercut and blew open Foehammer's guard A cross ensured it stayed opened and another uppercut ended it.

Foehammer's body went up to his toes and then fell backwards. The referee went over and counted and Kili waited but he didn't get back up. The referee raised Kili's hand in victory and the crowd roared. The sound brought Kili in the fighting fugue he had entered into and he gave his grin but was glad the referee was holding onto his hand because suddenly he hurt so badly his knees went weak.

He looked down at Foehammer's unconscious form wondering how he had ever beat somebody like that and saw Foehammer's eyes open watching him. He gave Kili a faint smile and then dutifully closed his eyes when the helpers came to remove his body from the ring. Kili blinked after him in shock and then realized that he had to go out the ring. He braced himself and moved slowly out the ring and tottered down the walkway and into the room where his bag was. He sat down painfully and opened his water bottle and drank deeply.

He just sat there for a moment, trying to get his bearings and trying to get a handle on how much he hurt. All his bones creaked. He was still sitting there when the Lion Prince came into the room. He didn't come in far, just inside the doorway and waited until Kili looked up.

Their eyes met and he gave Kili a single nod of approval. Then he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you all think!!
> 
> Have a nice day/night!!


	26. I've Always Loved The Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Lion Prince and Foehammer chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all those who read, commented and gave kudos! You guys rock!

He was liquid fire tonight, flame in a glass, the sun swirling, in all its glory. Feet light, like sunlight on stone, burning with heat enough to move though cool, tempered metal, that no one has ever been able to burn through; that the dragon has never been able to burn through.

Foehammer is grimly working the punching bags despite the fact that he should not be working out when he is not healed at all. But the dragon does not care. The black haired fighter has awakened his appreciation but also his ire. He has bested two of his fighters. The money the fights will bring in if he is still in them is desired but the dragon does not care for gold if his pride is hurt. They are vain things, dragons.

I walk over to Foehammer and slide behind the punch bag, holding it steady for him. He gives me a quicksilver glance and I see his amusement flash for a second. After a few moments he says quietly, "I quite like your boy you know. He is…interesting."

I waited, because talking to Foehammer often made almost no sense, until he had finished all that he had to say.

He threw a few more jabs and said, "He reminds me of you. And more than you. You can stop warming your hands to the flame, you can douse it with ice but he, if he were here…the dragon would have killed him because he would have never been able to hoard him. You are stronger than he, but he is more volatile and he does not burn out quickly. No," he paused contemplatively, "He grows stronger each time."

Foehammer smiled at me, "Prince," he said, "You are not the only Prince in this battle. Your eyes shine because you are finding purpose. His eyes burn because he has one. Make sure you are the object of it, Prince. It is the only way you'll live." He stopped punching and leaned forward and said solemnly, "I see the line in you, Fili. Don't cross it. You and I have fought but we are being steadily pushed. Fight. You have something to fight for, so fight for it. If we go over, there is no coming back for the likes of us and you know it. You've always known it."

"What if I'm not his purpose?" I asked and tried not to show how much the ice inside had melted just to ask that.

Foehammer smiled, "I don't think he can walk away from you now, even if you weren't what he was looking for in the beginning. You are brothers in spirit, or," he flicked his eyes at me, "would have been if you didn't freeze what's left of you."

"You to lecture me Hammer? You who trap yourself in a metal mold?"

He laughed joyous, tinkling laughter whose jagged edges cut like glass. "I can say what I see, and you're welcome to do the same."

He resumed punching the bag and I let go and walked away.

"Oh," he said, calling me back, "You can tell your brother sun that he did win. And keep your head down Prince. If the dragon sees your eyes there'll be flames abound."

I glared at him, my gaze icing over like I'd done so many times but he laughed because like me, Foehammer did not belong to the dragon. Like me he knew there was a part of us that would always be alive, hidden, but there somewhere, until the fateful day that the dragon consumed us.

But I wasn't the Dragon's yet, and if I had my way, I never would be. I could see a sun out there. And I've always loved the sun.


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kili has a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoy!!

"Honestly," said Ori with some exasperation, "What did I tell you to do?"

"Well you try to fight someone who hits harder than Mr. Dwalin and see if you can get through it without some sort of injury," Kili sniped back without heat.

They were in the infirmary, where Ori was dabbing at Kili's cuts with antiseptic.

He gave Kili a wide eyed look and said, "That's impossible."He finished cleaning them soon and smeared some salve on them. "At least they're not bad," he muttered.

"It is too possible," said Kili groaning a little.

"Did you win?" asked Ori.

"Yes," he said, "and don't ask me how because I don't know." He paused and the said, "Ori, there's something wrong going on with that ring, The Dragon's Den. I can't put my finger on it but it's the way the fighters talk…Something's really wrong…."

Ori frowned and Kili knew he wouldn't discount it because he was Ori and he cared about everybody.

"I don't think we can do anything about that Kili," said Ori, "We have our own problems right now. And even if we did it still wouldn't be our problem. But you could speak to that investigator, Bard."

Kili grimaced and then said, "I'll think about it."

"Kili," said Ori, "You have to find what you're looking for fast. You know that. Your Uncle needs you and your mum. They both need you to stand steady for them right now and we do too. We want to help you with this, but we don't want to lose you over it."

KIili squirmed uncomfortably but Ori held him and looked him in the eye sternly and at last Kili nodded. "I understand. I'll do my best, I will."

"You better," said Ori cleaning up, "We need everyone we have." He looked up at the camera in the corner which gave a solemn nod. "Nori said you're clear to go. Thorin's in bed."

"Thanks," said Kili. He gave a thumb up to the camera and then staggered afterwards to his room and fell asleep.

* * *

He woke up, worked out, then he paid Mr. Balin a visit. Two hours later he walked into his uncle's office.

"We need to talk," said Kili.

His uncle took one look at his cuts and bruises and said said stonily, "Yes I imagine that we do."

Kili waved a dismissing hand. "Not about that. This is about the company. I think you're going to have to pull back from our clients."

Thorin's eyes darkened dangerously. "I never thought that I had raised a coward," he said scathingly.

Kili's eyes darkened as well but he took a deep breath and kept his temper. He had a job to do here and he was going to do it.

"You didn't," Kili said. "I'm not saying to run away. I'm saying: protect the people we promised to protect. They are our clients. We promised to protect them. We promised to give our lives in the service they hired us for."

Thorin looked a little repentant but then his face hardened. "By letting this O.R.C. scum run about unchecked we endanger them more."

"Who said anything about letting them run unchecked?" Kili said, "I don't remember saying anything about that."

His uncle raised and eyebrow and watched his nephew properly. After a moment he gestured for Kili to sit and said, "Tell me what you have in mind."

Kili sat and then said, "Detective Bowman said that the O.R.C.S. are targeting stores protected by us right? So I say we should pull back from them. Tell the clients why. I think they'll respect us for it. Talk to another company, Rivendell, maybe even Mirkwood," he wrinkled his nose, "Whoever. Just provide a replacement. Split the fee between the next company and us. They can pay us a sum for getting the job. That way the clients will be safe and they'll respect us enough that when this is over they will retain our services. I talked to Mr. Balin and he said our finances would hold up if we did this and get the O.R.C.S. out fast."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Thorin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ask for help," said Kili, "and spring a trap. If we use one of our clients, with their permission, keep the police on call, and send people to wait outside in the surrounding buildings then we could catch them."

Thorin's eyes glittered with approval. "Just one change," he said, "We don't tell the police our plan, they would never approve. We will however request more patrols."

"Done," said Kili.

Thorin nodded and said, "You're dismissed."

Kili got and headed for the doorway. Just before he left though, he heard Thorin say, "Good work." Kili smiled.

* * *

It took a few days to set everything up, but soon enough Kili found himself lying on a building opposite the site of a former client. The client in question had in fact been ready to move out for some time now and had offered the use of his building for Thorin's trap. He was going to have it demolished anyway so it didn't hurt him one bit. There was no jewelry inside there but Dis had put up some pretty convincing fakes to ensure the O.R.C.S. would come. The building had the advantage of being a little on the small side and so might prove and easier target.

Other groups however were watching all their others clients' buildings on the outside while Rivendell and Mirkwood guarded the insides. For their trap building though, their own people guarded that.

The night air chilled him as he scanned the area through his scope. His comm. crackled quietly in his ear as the other members of the company murmured positions to each other. Kili had one other sniper with him on the roof next to him, while the other two snipers who were here on this mission were on buildings behind the client's building.

The hours ticked by, long, frustrating and tiring. Everybody was on a knife's edge tonight, attention span strung as tight as bow. It practically hurt to be so vigilant but they soldiered on and hoped that their plan would bear fruit.

At one o'clock in the morning, there was a burst of static as one of the other snipers reported seeing movement coming up behind the building. Everyone tensed and waited for future developments.

"It's the O.R.C.S., sir," the sniper reported a few moments later to Thorin. "They're coming around the back."

Kili cursed softly and but held position. He was scanning his area again when he heard a faint scuffing from behind him. He spun and saw an ORC coming up on the roof. He held a sniper rifle and looked as surprised as Kili felt.

Still Kili moved fast, running across the roof and hauling him up. He and the Orc scrambled but Kili wedged his forearm into the Orc's mouth to keep him from sounding an alarm and got his other arm around the Orc's neck and choked him into unconsciousness.

Once the Orc was down he sent a warning to the other sniper just in case and quickly set up the Orc's rifle and pulled his own back a little to avoid detection. He didn't want the O.R.C.S. to know that they were there because that would spoil their plan.

He breathlessly explained what had happened over the comms. Thorin alerted the rest of the teams who were out there with them because the problem with two groups of people trying hide was that they might choose the same hiding spots.

Luckily the O.R.C.S. soon grew bored of hiding and once they had amassed enough numbers they hit the building hard and fast. First they cut power to the building and then they blew open the front doors with a grenade launcher.

Kili was of the idea that that was 'a bit too much' as Mr. Bilbo might say.

"Go, go, go!" shouted Thorin as the ORCS began flooding the incapacitated building. The guards inside had already begun firing away at the O.R.C.S. trying to hold their own and keep the plan intact but if the reinforcements didn't come soon, they would be slaughtered.

As the O.R.C.S. poured towards the building like ants funneling down an anthill, Erebor Corps flooded after them, teams of men in black, moving together so smoothly it was like they were operating under a hive mind. They waited until most of the ORCS were packed tightly together and out of the alleys and side streets before they started shooting.

The O.R.C.S. at the back of the group fell first. The ones up front did not notice as their own gunfire covered up the sound of the Corps'. And Thorin and the others had screwed silencers on a many guns as they could.

Ranks of ORCS fell before they really understood what was happening.

Kili meanwhile was both watching their backs and picking off the Orcs in the building to save their employees inside. He slowed the tide inside the building while the Orcs were confused as to why, apparently their own sniper was shooting at them. The other sniper next to him was carefully targeting those Orcs who seemed to be the leaders, crushing the power structure as he could.

But things were going to get messy soon.

The main body of Orcs finally figured out that there were enemies behind them and began to retaliate in earnest. Shots ricocheted and Kili was hard-pressed to either defend the men in the street or assist the men in the buildings.

Erebor Corps. held its own though, at least until they pulled back out the grenade launcher. They shot off one shot and men from the Corps. dived to the side. A loud bang rocked the street and set car alarms off. He could hear men groaning through the comms. and he could feel his rage build in him.

"Kili!" he heard Thorin shout, "Shoot them!"

"On it!" he answered and shot the man holding the grenade launcher in the chest.

It fell out of his nerveless fingers only to be caught by another Orc who quickly aimed it at a team of men. A shot rang out from the building next to Kili, killing him too. The launcher fell out of his hands bounced down some steps and was picked up and aimed at Kili. Kili shot him dead before he finished aiming it. Another shot from the other sniper finally killed the grenade launcher.

Kili sighed in relief and turned his attention to the client's building. He shot four Orcs who passed a window and shot two more who suddenly appeared on the roof. The sound of motorcycles coming up the street behind Erebor's men, had him running to the other side of the roof and shooting the approaching Orcs off their bikes. A call for help within the building had him sprinting back to his original position.

Somewhere along the line he ran out of bullets and had to use the Orcs' sniper gun. It was not as good as his but it was better than nothing. Below him, the ground had turned into a raging battle field, full of deadly missiles, lighting up with dangerous flashes. Men screamed and shouted and Kili worked feverishly to keep his own people alive.

In the distance he could hear sirens.

He finally ran out of bullets for either sniper rifle and he huffed and called that he was out of bullets. He picked up his bow and arrows which he had brought with him on a hunch and slipped the quiver on. He had no sooner done that than he was attacked from behind.

The Orc he had laid unconscious earlier had woken up and attacked him. They rolled around the roof in a confusion of fists and kicks. They grappled with each other and Kili felt a searing pain in his arm as the Orc bit him. He was finally gaining the upper hand when the Orc rolled, hefted and threw Kili off the edge of the building.

Kili was weightless for a brief moment before gravity caught hold of him and dragged him ruthlessly down. He yelled but his scream was cut short as his flailing hands caught on a window ledge. He grunted harshly as his body slammed into the side of the building and knocked the air out of him. His shoulder wrenched painfully and he knew it was only by a miracle that his arm didn't come out of joint.

He flailed there for a moment before he hung his bow haphazardly around his neck and got his other hand onto the ledge and hung there gasping for breath. After a few moments he fished the hand gun from his side and shot the window into pieces and then hauled himself inside the building. He fell hard, landed on the glass which bit eagerly into his flesh and groaned but he popped to his feet, got his bow sorted out and went searching for the grappling hook he had somewhere in his gear.

It wasn't standard, but when on tall inhospitable buildings, snipers carried them in case they needed an unorthodox exit. Kili got the line from one of his back pockets and rappelled down the building in short order.

"I'm grounded!" He announced over comms as his boots hits the ground.

"What happened?!" snapped Thorin.

"Got thrown off a building," Kili told him cheerfully even as he used his handgun to shoot an Orc coming after him. "Survived."

With adrenaline pumping through him, Kili wasn't feeling the fear yet, not really.

"Are you okay?" asked Nori.

"Fine," he said, "Just my right shoulder is strained."

He spun and shot his last bullet at another Orc. A shot from above had him looking up to find that the Orc which had thrown him off the building was shooting at the men from Erebor Corps. He obviously had had backup ammunition.

He unslung his bow and pulled out an arrow. He ran back as far as he could to get a good shot and released the arrow. The Orc sniper's head jerked back as the arrow hit him point blank.

A shot killed the Orc that was coming up behind him and Kili looked up to see the other sniper give him a thumbs up and resumed keeping their men out of trouble in the building. Kili soon found himself doing face to face combat with a bow and arrow which was nothing he had ever done before.

Time blurred again and Kili himself was a blur, shooting, whacking people with his bow when he had no other choice, grabbing a gun from Orcs he had dropped and doing as much damage as he could.

He wasn't on the ground for very long before the sirens finally reached where they were. Along with them came the unmistakable sounds of a helicopter. The police had finally arrived.

The Orcs, seeing the reinforcements finally gave up, most of them running away as fast as they could. A lot of them didn't make it out but a lot of them still did. Bikes hidden in corners roared to life as the Orcs made their escape.

One of those bikes roared right at Kili. Kili dove out of the way but he wasn't fast enough. The bike clipped him in the side and spun him into the air.

"Kili!" he heard Thorin shout. Not though the comms. alone but somewhere close to him.

His body corkscrewed into the air and then he was falling. Pain blossomed through him and he knew some of his ribs were broken but still somehow through the blinding, jabbing hurt, Kili's body remembered his training and he automatically spun out of the corkscrew and landed on his feet.

He gasped and then immediately regretted it. Still he drew himself up and, in one of the fastest draws of his life, pulled an arrow from his quiver with his aching arm, nocked it, aimed and shot his attacker in the shoulder.

Then his bow fell out of his hand and he fell to the ground clutching his ribs. He wasn't sure when he passed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope all of you are safe and none of you are in the path of Hurricane Irma or have family there. If you are under the path, I really hope you all are safe wherever you are.   
> Please keep my Caribbean brethren who suffered Irma's wrath in mind. They got hit pretty hard and rebuilding is going to be hard especially for those independent small islands who don't quite have access to all the resources the other islands might have.   
> Stay safe everyone and I hope all your family and friends are safe too!!!


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoy!!

Kili woke up in a drugged haze. He blinked sleepily and slowly, trying to fight his way to consciousness. But he was really, really tired. After about half an hour of slow blinking though, Kili began to feel more alert. He blinked a little more rapidly and swallowed hard when thirst made itself known. He turned his head laboriously to the side and stared at the occupant in the chair next to his hospital bed.

Ori leaned forward, grinned at him and said, "You're in tro-u-ble!"

"Don't sound so happy about it," Kili rasped.

Ori immediately produced a glass of water from somewhere and slowly let Kili sip some from a straw. When he'd had enough, Kili said, "What happened?"

"You missed all the excitement," Ori told him, "that's what happened."

"Wha…?"

"Detective Bowman wanted to arrest everyone, including your Uncle for having what was basically an illegal operation."

"Shit!"

"Yeah," said Ori but he was still grinning, "Nothing stuck though. Thorin and Bofur were careful when they set this up. The ORC you shot at the end is in interrogation now but he isn't talking. You didn't hit him too badly, though he had to end up here in the hospital like you."

"So what's the verdict on me?" asked Kili.

"Two broken ribs, one cracked, a strained shoulder, multiple cuts, luckily no infection, the breaks in your ribs are clean and not too bad. You'll heal just fine if you take it easy." He made a face at the last part and Kili smiled a little.

"So when am I getting out of here?" Kili asked him.

"They were planning to send you home tomorrow but all that depends on what they think after examining you today."

"Cool,'" muttered Kili. "Wait, why am I in trouble?"

Ori rolled his eyes. "Your mom is not happy with you taking a motorcycle to the side, neither for that matter is Thorin. I don't think you'll be able to hear for a week by the time they get done with you."

"I didn't ask for a motorcycle in the side," Kili protested.

"Dis is mad at Thorin for letting you go, as well," Ori informed him.

Kili shut his eyes and screwed up his face. This was going to be the worst. Nothing was well when Dis and her brother decided not to get along.

"Fantastic," said Kili in mock cheer, "Now my life is doubly screwed."

"Right!" Ori agreed cheerfully. Kili gave him a very dark look but Ori didn't cave under it.

* * *

Luckily the next day the doctors did decide to send him home, under Oin's care. He had a ridiculous amount of bruising on his side but no internal bleeding, which was considered some sort of miracle. Kili was severely admonished to rest until his ribs knitted and healed properly. Then he was sent home via Gloin who took him directly home and to the infirmary.

Kili was installed in a bed, told he was off duty until he had healed, dosed up with painkillers, which given the ache in his side he welcomed, and told very firmly to sleep. He obeyed the order before he knew what was happening.

* * *

 

When Kili awoke around two o'clock in the morning, it was to find Thorin sitting at his bedside in the dark, concentrating on something on his tablet.

"Uncle?" he croaked out, half confused, wondering if he was dreaming.

Thorin startled and then his lips quirked into something like a smile. He set the tablet on the little table by Kili's bed and said, "What are you doing up sister-son?"

"I…' began Kili and then grimaced at the greeting which Thorin always used when he and Dis were arguing. But Thorin didn't seem angry at him.

"I don't know," he said, voice rasping a little, "I just woke up."

Thorin glanced at the tablet and then said, "It's about time for your next round of medication. Do you want them?"

Kili nodded and then Thorin helped him sit up a little, and shook out the correct dosage of pain pills and handed them to Kili along with a glass of water. Kili downed them and Thorin took the glass from his hand and helped him settled down again. He tucked the blanket around Kili and made sure the pillow underneath his head was comfortable.

"Uncle," said Kili, still blinking at Thorin, feeling, in this warm comforting dark, like it was all a dream and yet knowing it was truer than anything he'd had with his uncle in a long time. He wanted to say something, do something but Thorin, as if understanding him, simply gave that little smile again and smoothed back the hair from his forehead.

"Sleep Kili," he said.

And Kili obeyed. Before he fully dipped into the arms of sleep, he became aware of his Uncle's deep, rumbling voice, soothing the way there with a song he hadn't heard since childhood. Then he was gone.

* * *

Three days later Kili was making his way slowly and painfully through the crowds in the next fighting ring for the next stage of the competition. He was keeping up a steady steam of cursing as people kept bumping into his injured…well his injured everything.

He finally came out of the crowd to the section that had been set aside for the remaining participants who might want to watch. It was higher than the rest of the crowd and actually had seats but towards the back was clear space and there, leaning against the wall, was the Lion Prince. He was the only one there; the space between him and the other fighters was very clearly defined.

Of course Kili had never listened to rules unspoken or otherwise.

He made his way slowly over to him and leaned back ungracefully against the wall and then let out the breath he had held to stop him from crying out at the pain. The Lion Prince give him a lazy look-over over and then said:

"You look like shit."

It was the least elegant thing he had ever said to Kili.

"Yeah, well, I have a day job you know," Kili groused at him.

A blond eyebrow rose over frosted, blue eyes. "A day job that's exactly the same as your night job?"

Kili huffed and then regretted it. "I work security," he said, "We had an incident." After a moment he added, "I had a run in with a motorcycle."

Both eyebrows rose. But there was nothing in his face that said that the Lion Prince was actually interested in what happened and anyway Kili wasn't going to tell him anymore than that. So he shut up and focused on the match going on below.

After the next two matches Kili was forced to put his hands to his ribs to ease the pain there. He made up for this show of weakness by ensuring that nothing of his pain showed on his face. The Lion Prince was a steady, solid presence at his side.

In the snatched glances at him, Kili saw that his eyes took in the fights and analyzed them and eventually picked out the winner in minutes. Kili could guess who had the better odds at winning but could not analyze as thoroughly as the fighter beside him. He took note of what the Lion Prince marked though and tried to apply it to the next set of fighters.

After awhile Kili was forced to straighten up from leaning to ease his ribs. He widened his stance and settled his weight evenly between his feet. After a moment though he felt firm hands on his shoulders, tugging them back gently. He jumped which did nothing good for his ribs, but managed to hold onto his surprise and let his shoulders be oriented the way the Lion Prince wanted them to be. When his shoulders were back and straight, he poked Kili none to gently in his back forcing him to straighten up, locking his lower back into place and easing the pressure off his ribs.

There was a soft huff and then the Lion Prince spoke, "You are still so soft cub. How do you expect to survive?"

"I didn't know I was expected to face rapidly moving vehicles and escape unscathed," Kili retorted.

"You're supposed to know how to take care of your injuries," He drawled in response.

Kili scowled. "Forgive me," he said, tossing the response over his shoulder, "for never being so bad a fighter that someone ever actually broke my ribs."

He expected another scathing comment but when he turned his head the Lion Prince was regarding him with lazy amusement in his still glacial eyes.

"Point to you I suppose," he said, shrugging gracefully and then turned his attention back to the fight in the ring. Kili quenched down the sudden and unexpected burst of warmth at the tacit approval and also turned his attention to the match.

By the time the winner of said match finally staggered out of the ring, Kili had had enough of his current position and retreated back to the wall and leaned back with a softly breathed out sigh of relief. In his haste and pain though, he had misjudged the distance and he found himself resting shoulder to shoulder with the Lion Prince.

Kili expected him to move or to shrug him off but he did neither. In fact he didn't even acknowledge Kili and Kili, after one long frozen moment, decided it would be really to awkward to shuffle off ungainly to the side now, (that was the best he could do at this moment) and so just stayed there. Besides the extra prop was not hurting.

He adopted a casual look and focused on the new match.

* * *

_Graylin slipping into the section late saw them and was struck by the sight. They stood shoulder to shoulder, one of them fair and tall, a figure of light, pure and bright until you noticed the ice cold deliberate way in which he viewed everything and the frozen aura that had blasted everyone back for fear they be trapped and frozen and shattered before him._

_The other one next to him was a dark soldier, speaking of night and cold, calm precision but his eyes held a laser focus backed by a molten sun. Passion and charisma flowed off of him in a deadly, shimmering heat wave. His devil-may-care attitude called out to all the fighters, dared them to test his flames, the little smirk on his face told them he would melt their bones before they ever reached them._

_He wondered if they were aware either of them, of the bastion of strength they presented to the world._

_The Lion Prince had his head tipped back watching the matches lazily, beside him, Kili had his head tilted to the side eyeing the match with an ease that matched the lazy demeanor of his companion. They were both ferocious fighters, both stalking lions eyeing their prey. There was something uncannily similar in the angles of their jaws, the straight nose, the set of their shoulders, as if they were made of the same metal but had been hammered out differently._

_Graylin wondered if anyone really wanted them to fight again because the next time they clashed, it was going to be different._

* * *

Kili saw Graylin slip in and decided that it was a good excuse as any to actually go and sit down. He pushed off the wall, waggled his fingers at the Lion Prince and collapsed with as much grace as he could next to Graylin.

"Hey," said Kili.

"What the hell happened to you?" said Graylin eyeing his visible injuries.

"Job," Kili returned, "Also a run in with a motorcycle."

Graylin's eyebrows rose. "You've got to be kidding."

"I wish I was," Kili leaning back into the seat. Graylin snorted and then said:

"Well that's unfortunate."

"Tell me about it," said Kili.

Before they could continue their conversation though the last match before the main event ended and then the announcer was announcing the final matchup: Wizard vs. D.I.N.A.O.

The crowd screamed but the fighters in their section instantly became quiet and focused. Kili was fighting to remember what both of them looked like. He had seen them, he knew, but that been just after his fight with Ripclaw and although he had paid great attention to the fights after it he found he couldn't recall a damn thing about any of them.

Wizard came first, a tall, wiry but well built man with white blond hair. He was calm and confident; he acknowledged the crowd, smiled and waved but quickly retreated to his corner and focused himself.

The announcer then called out the Den fighter, D.I.N.A.O. and the crowd went wild, well, wilder. D.I.N.A.O. was obviously a favorite. He came out, strolling to the ring with a cat-like grace Kili had seen on only one person before.

He turned his head to look at the Lion Prince and noted the slightly narrowed eyes. Then he turned back and actually took note of the rest of D.I.N.A.O and almost kicked himself because D.I.N.A.O. had the blond hair and blue eyes of his missing brother. They were even the right type of blond and blue too.

He watched as the Den fighter, calmly vaulted over the ropes and into the ring. The crowd screamed and he spread his arms and spun, confidence oozing though his movements. Then he settled in his corner until the referee called him and Wizard to the center.

They met, knocked gloves once and then retreated. Kili leaned forward, heart in his throat as he looked for any sign that this might possibly be Fili. The match started and the two fighters were instantly in motion, punching, ducking, kicking. Wizard was good. He was really good. He was stronger than he looked and he was smart. He played his strengths neatly and it worked.

But D.I.N.A.O., D.I.N.A.O. was something else entirely. He was all force and passion, a whirlwind of motion and power. His blue eyes were alight with wild joy and his face bore a wicked smile, so damn close to the one Kili often wore himself.

He took Wizard's blows on his weak spots and kept going, he landed blows that cracked across the arena, he fought with a certain cunning grace that cleverly leashed all his abilities without appearing to, so that his opponent often mistook him for a wild fighter while every move was carefully choreographed.

And when Wizard's body finally crashed onto the floor unconscious and he stood there tall, eyes bright and sparkling, looking every bit the sun, Fili was purported to be, having shown every evidence of the tactician that he might have grown into, Kili had to wonder if he had just found his brother.

He just sat there frozen in the moment, stuck, like an idiot, unable to wrap his brain about the possibility, to even think what to do. D.I.N.A.O.'s hand was raised as the victor and he pumped his other hand in the air and smirked at the crowd and then he turned and his eyes locked onto Kili's for what felt like a long moment, before he turned to make his way out of the ring.

After about five seconds Kili managed to unfreeze and he looked down at D.I.N.A.O just in time for him to catch a smirk he aimed up at their section. Only it wasn't aimed at him. Kili turned in time to see the Lion Prince's eyes, darken and the core of him harden over with solid, dark ice. There was an emotion there but Kili couldn't read it.

After a moment the Lion Prince looked from D.I.N.A.O. to Kili and Kili could swear that there was nothing human in the man looking at him. He should have been afraid but he wasn't, at least that wasn't all he was feeling at the time. Something about the Lion Prince's demeanor had him angry but he wasn't angry at him. Without thinking about it, Kili mouthed the words:

"You are a lion."

Then he spun and left but he felt the chill at his back lessen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope nobody minded the random Graylin POV in the middle cause I really wanted an outside POV there. Yeah so tell me what you guys thought!


	29. Belly Of The Beast, Burn In The Rays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And Fili!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoy!!!

D.I.N.A.O doesn't look at me again for the rest of the night. He doesn't speak, though his form carries a smug amusement. But he doesn't speak because I will silence him forever and he knows it.

He will not face me directly, knows he will not survive the confrontation, doesn't want a confrontation because the longer he spins this out, the more harm he will do to me or he will cause me to break my façade. I do not care to lose what I've gained for one stupid reaction after a hundred years of infinite care.

We file smoothly, one by one, back into the Den and the Dragon stands by the entrance to secure his hoard back into its rightful place. He smiles at D.I.N.A.O. and D.I.N.A.O is smart enough to not react to it. The others get cold approval. I am last, as I've always been. He has always hated it. I have always done it.

The Dragon watches my face as I step towards him. He is looking, watching for any other light beyond Dragon fire. He finds none. I let my cold rage, my self-hate, my broken, crystal towers, slicing into me, the anger for him so mired in the dark, there is nothing pure in it, rest in my eyes as they've always done. There is no light in me, there has never been. The line inside me is drawn so starkly, I cannot hide it.

This pleases him. He owns me but he doesn't  _own_  me. And Dragons always hated sharing.

I walk past him and the heavy steel door shuts behind me cutting out the tremulous light of the moon and I am buried in the Dragon's Den once more, lost within the belly of the beast that is trying to consume me.

* * *

I lie in my bunk and watch up at the roof above me. Words and images run through my head.

_I have a day job you know._

Um, no? I thought and raised an eyebrow in amusement at my own naivety.

_I work security._

That somehow didn't surprise me. Visions of a tall, glass building filled my mind, Erebor Crops scrawled across the top but I pushed it away. I hadn't thought of it in a long time, I wouldn't now.

_The black haired fighter standing with his hand pressed to his side, one of his shoulders stiff and awkward from pain but not a flicker of discomfort crossing his face._

But he is not like me. Even as a statute he is alive.

_The light and wondering in his gaze when he looks at D.I.N.A.O._

We are mirror images, he and I. And we would have some talking to do before all this is over.

_The black haired fighter's face when he looked at me._

I had expected fear, anger, disgust.

The heat of his rage was palpable but it couldn't, wouldn't thaw me. The molten sphere that lay behind his dark eyes, promise death, a sort of retribution, but not at me. I wasn't the object of his ire.

_"You are a lion."_

Because I wasn't human then, but I wasn't the Dragon's either. And he understood that.

The ice that that had clambered up around my core, had released their strangle hold on me then; his anger for me doing what his anger towards me never could.

In the dark I bared my teeth in a grin that gave credence to my name. Because I could see the line, drawing closer, but I was still a Lion. And I would burn in the rays of the sun before surrendering to Dragon fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was it?
> 
> Have a nice day/night!!!


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoy!!! Thanks to all you lovely people who commented and gave kudos!!

The night would've been complicated for Kili if he hadn't been so tired and worn out by his injuries that he fell asleep as soon as got home. Thorin had glanced at him when he came home but since he hadn't fought that night, Thorin let him go without a word.

But that left the morning the opportunity to be complicated. Kili sat in his bed thinking long and hard about what he had seen last night. A part of him wanted to be excited about DINAO. The large part. But he was also wondering how he had never noticed him before. He had paid attention to the fights after his with Ripclaw He knew he had, despite the fact that he couldn't actually remember much about them, if anything. But how had he missed DINAO? He was sure he would have noticed and it would have made some sort of impression on him. After all wasn't that why he had started this whole thing in the first place? To see the other fighters? How then could he miss the one that might be Fili?

No matter how Kili teased the problem in his mind he really only came up with solution. His attention had been absorbed by the Lion Prince. Which was weird. Kili found himself inexplicably tied up with him. Part of him of his attention had been caught and held tightly, bound to the frozen gaze with the black landscape behind.

He'd looked for his brother in the ring but….. his though processes trailed off. Something had switched off, something had flipped on, something had aligned and Kili had ice beneath skin his now, and something black there. And it was not his.

He wondered idly if the Lion prince had something of Kili with him.

"Ori," said Kili to the person who had appeared in his doorway, "I think I made a friend."

Ori face palmed.

* * *

 

Throughout the day, Kili continued to twist his thoughts around the problem. He thought about DINAO, replayed every moment of his fight, went over it in detail and every time he wondered if he had found Fili but at the very end, something always stopped him. It was the grin he had directed at the Lion Prince and the Lion Prince's reaction.

He tried to rationalized the uneasiness he felt at the scene. It was a fighting ring. Fili had to have come out of it harder. But his stomach twisted still. Part of him told him that he should be more uneasy about the Lion Prince. Even Killer. Definitely Foehammer.

But no. He didn't. None of them had brought on this reaction. He was confused. Maybe he should talk to Bilbo. The little man was smart and Kili could actually use some tea today.

* * *

 

"Bilbo!" said Kili as jovially as he could manage.

"Just a moment," said the little man as he placed a customer's order on the table. He turned to see who had entered and froze.

"What happened to you?"

"My job," grinned Kili.

"Well you need to get a new one," Bilbo said, briskly and Kili laughed.

"Well what'll it be?"

"Tea," said Kili, "Preferably something restorative. Scones and pie and anything pastry you have that is sickeningly sweet. A lot of it."

Bilbo humphed but a few moments later he came back with a tray that was piled full of pastries, scones and a large piece of pie. A huge cup of tea was also fitted somehow onto the tray and it was placed carefully onto the table in front of Kili. The tray itself was then dropped unceremoniously in front of him and Bilbo hurried off to deal with another customer.

After the customer was satisfied though, Bilbo joined Kili at his table.

"And how are you doing today?"

"Sore," said Kili, "Did you know I got hit in the side with a motorbike?"

Bilbo's eyes widened. After a moment, he said, "That's it, I'm going back to the Shire."

"No," Kili laughed, "Or where else would I get such lovely food?"

"That's not food," Bilbo told him but smiled at him. "What's bothering you?"

"Why do you think anything is bothering me?"

Bilbo gave him a look. "I can read your face better when it's not covered in a million tiny cuts."

Kili grimaced and sighed, "You can't tell anyone," he said and proceeded to tell him what he'd been doing with the fighting rings.

Predictably Bilbo was furious with him. Also, predictably, he wasn't furious with him.

"So," said the little man, "You think you've found your brother but you're not sure, because the guy that may be your brother sucks."

"I didn't say he sucked," Kili said frowning at him.

"Not in so many words," said Bilbo, easily. "And the other guy who isn't your brother, who sounds really rather scary by the way, does not suck but he's tied up in your life now."

"Um, yes?"

Bilbo took a sip of the tea he had procured in the middle of Kili's explanation.

"So what now?" asked Kili.

"Well," said Bilbo, "honestly all you can do is talk to this DINAO guy and see what he's like. See if he's anything different from what you've seen so far. See if he remembers anything of his life before."

The solution was so simply, Kili started to smile and then gave little laugh. "I'll try."

"And in the meantime," said Bilbo, "Don't jump to conclusions. You've been doing this awhile, don't get hasty now."

"Thanks Bilbo," said Kili, getting up. "Really."

"No problem. That'll be thirty dollars, plus the therapy bill." Kili barked a laugh and tossed thirty dollars on the table.

"See you around Bilbo," he said and headed out the door. Once outside he stopped and breathed in the air. Dusk was falling and as he glanced at the sinking sun a brilliant grin flashed in his mind but ice and darkness rose beneath his skin.

He wondered why the sun made the grin dim but the ice hum with anticipation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think!!
> 
> Have a nice day/night!!


	31. I Am My Own

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoy. I actually really like this chapter and I hope you all will too!

DINAO walks into the sparring ring and I slide in after him. He turns to see who has followed him and his eyes widen in surprise and then they narrow in amusement even as a smirk slides across his face. I grin back at him. I am amused too and suddenly; he is not so sure of himself.

Silly, silly child. We are mirror images, if mirrors were black.

We retreat to separate ends and then draw forward after a count of five. He feints and follows up with a right cross. I lean back to avoid his cross and before he can snap back his arm, grab it. His own motion drags me towards him but I spin and deliver an elbow to his ribs. I let go of his arm and use the same hand to hit him in the chin. And then again in the face.

He falls to mat, not unconscious no, but bloody. I step back and extend a hand to him.

He is furious and pops back up to his feet without my help.

He assumes a fighter's crouch and I do the same. My eyes are ice and there is a smile on my face.

There is a flurry of blows and DINAO hits the floor again. He refuses my offer to help him up and faces me again.

There is a cross, a jab, two kicks and then I slip between his guard, faster than he ever could, and floor him again.

I insolently offer him my hand.

When he gets up again there is laughter in his eyes. Good healthy laughter. I remember it. I put it there, when we were both children. But his smirk is the dragon's.

He spits to the side and goes at me again.

On the side of the ring Foehammer, Killer and Diamondbone lounge, grinning. On the other side, Butcher, Ripclaw and Knockout, stand scowling.

He floors me but I drag him down to my level. We grapple but eventually I gain the better of him. I pin him and wait until he taps out.

I roll away from him and offer him a hand up.

He knocks it away and we start again. He is fast. Faster than the black-haired fighter, faster than anyone in this den save for me and the Dragon. I dodge his punches and kicks, by a hairsbreadth at times, but I still dodge him, taunt him, show him that he cannot touch me, not here, and tell him, certainly not anywhere else. This mayn't be my den, but we are still shut up in here together and he should be afraid.

I catch a gap in his defenses and floor him again. And when he gets up, dragon fire spills in his eyes. It doesn't melt the ice in mine.

I offer him a hand up and he dives at my feet. I twist away in time, kick his head up grab him by his t-shirt, cock my fist back and knock him out.

I drop him back onto the floor and call, "Ice."

Foehammer, smiling pleasantly, holds out the ice he had already obtained. I touch the ice cube to his face and DINAO gasps back into consciousness.

He knocks the ice from my hands and props himself onto his elbows.

"You know," he rasps, conversationally, "I am not going to stop."

"I know," I say equally personable, "I'm just showing what's going to happen, so that you don't feel inclined to waste your time."

He laughs. There are dragon's scales in his eyes and scuffed over line in the sand.

"You're an idiot," he says.

I laugh and he shivers. "No," I say, "I am my own."

He looks at me, sees the ice inside but sees also the line. He turns to see Foehammer, Killer and Diamondbone. There are lines in each of us but together they become more than a death sentence, they become a barrier, a challenge.

"No," he says, voice hard, and shimmering with fire, like a blade that has been beaten to the point of shattering and the heat of the blows still linger, "The dragon still owns you."

"Yes," I say, "But he also never has." And the ice in my eyes mock him. I hold out my hand but he doesn't take it.

We are mirror images he and I. Blond hair, blue eyes, rippling muscles, blank stares, and fire hidden somewhere inside those gazes.

He wears dragon fire inside his, but behind my ice, a sun burns.

We are mirror images he and I, but someone is the reflection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you all think!!
> 
> Have a nice day/night!!


	32. Chapter 32

Kili came late to the next fight because he had to wait for Thorin to go to sleep and for Nori to come on shift and relieve Dis. When he arrived, he found most of the fighters standing in a roped off section that had been prepared for them. The guard let him through and Kili found a place to stand and eyed the lineup boards. Three quarters of the fights were already over but the crowd hadn't diminished at all. The competition was doing wonders for the fighting rings' pockets.

Kili felt someone come up behind him and he twisted to see who it was. Graylin grinned at him.

"Late today," he commented.

"Yeah," Kili shrugged. "What's it like?"

"The crowds hyped," was Graylin's only reply. Kili instantly picked up on the hint that something was wrong. His glance swept over the fighters assembled again and noticed the glaring oddity. There were no den fighters here. Casually he glanced back towards the ring which held two fighters slugging it out. When he had paid a sufficient amount of attention to the ring he allowed his gaze to wander. He found them lurking in the doorway of one of the prep rooms. He could practically see the tension lurking there. He could not see the Lion Prince or DINAO. He could see Killer who caught his gaze and flashed him a quick smile. Kili returned his attention to the fight in time to see one of the opponents get kicked in the face. He flew back, landed hard but rolled and came up in time to block another kick. He ducked beneath the next kick and kicked his opponent's feet out from under him.

When Kili looked back towards the doorway blonde hair caught his eyes. DINAO was leaning in the doorway. He held Kili's eyes and then grinned at him, all bright, shimmering laughter, and seemed to light up in a golden glow. Kili gave him a trademark smirk and then casually returned his attention to the fight which looked about to be wrapping up about now. The kicker, as Kili had privately dubbed him, was going to get his butt kicked.

Sometime after the new fight the Lion Prince emerged and unlike the others he stepped out of the doorway and carefully leaned against the wall. He seemed highly, highly amused.

Kili raised his eyebrows at him because the last time he had seen him; he'd been very not amused. The Lion Prince shifted and had Kili not been paying attention he would have missed the slight ripple along his shoulders that passed for a shrug.

Kili frowned and then gave him a confused look between the tangle of limbs of the fighters that separated them. He had to wait for the fighters to move away before he could see his face. The Lion Prince's face had settled into his usual cold impassivity but his body had been realigned to covey the barest hint of an answer. Unfortunately, Kili had no idea what the answer was. Kili cocked his head in question and simultaneously tried to figure out what was being said by the Lion Prince. The Lion Prince had shifted position further away from the doorway so as to be able to see Kili better but apparently did not get what Kili was trying to say. After several minutes of continuously confused, (and very subtle) communication the two of them gave up and went back to watching the fight.

"Anything?" murmured Graylin.

Kili shrugged. "Somethings obviously wrong."

"And why would you say that?" Graylin asked.

Kili frowned and then realized that Graylin wanted his view on the answer.

"Because the fighters are separated. Why? They didn't bother last time." his eyes narrowed. "That tension….I think its internal. They're keeping their heads down so that they don't draw their den keeper's attention. At least for now."

There was a pause and then Graylin said, "What did you do?"

Kili looked at him confused. "Why would you think I had anything to do with this?"

Graylin gave him a highly amused and somewhat incredulous glance and then didn't answer.

"Graylin!" Kili hissed. But Graylin didn't answer and Kili didn't want to push when they had an audience. He turned and gave the Lion Prince a confused look that also showed a little bit of his anger.

The Lion Prince let his shoulders resettle in a graceful motion that teased Kili. 'Can't handle it on your own?' it seemed to say. But at the same time there was something softer in it like he was only teasing Kili because he knew Kili could handle it. Soft was relative term though. The whole movement was delivered in a cool demeanor where the only reason that Kili knew that he cared was that he'd made the motion in the first place. That and just a little something extra.

Kili relaxed. And though Graylin's question would bombard his thoughts he felt his agitation settle. He crossed his arms over his chest stuck his trademark smirk on his features and focused on the fight.

A few minutes later the fight came to an end and then they began prepping for the final fight, the competition fight. Kili shifted position to take the pressure off his ribs and almost missed the den fighters wandering over from the prep room. They circled around pretty quickly and grinned at them when they slipped under the ropes.

"Best seats in the house," Goblin said cheerfully in explanation.

DINAO settled next to Kili and said conversationally, "Who do you think will win?"

Kili shrugged in an attempt to keep his head and said, "I'll wait till the fight to venture a guess."

DINAO laughed and shrugged. His eyes raked Kili in curiously and though they were laughing, Kili felt oddly tense. He stopped himself from giving the frown that would give away his confusion and after a moment DINAO said, "Well I guess we'll both see."

The final fight was still being set up when someone cheerfully bumped into Kili's side.

He hissed with pain and Foehammer said, "Oops?"

"This time," Kili gritted out.

"Who hit you that hard?" asked DINAO and he appeared amused, "I didn't think someone could get the better of you that badly. Even Lion didn't manage it."

"My day job got the better of me," Kili replied easily and shifted his attention to Foehammer and raising an eyebrow.

"I actually just came to say hi," he replied shrugging.

"It seems everybody is," Kili replied and felt like he channeled a little bit of the Lion Prince there.

Foehammer grinned and Kili gave back a grin that smacked something of Thorin, no that smacked of Durin, a wild reckless daring smirk that told you to do your worst. But it wasn't hard and it wasn't threatening. Foehammer understood this because they had shared an understanding of each other in the ring.

Kili fixed his attention back on the ring and felt DINAO's confusion. It surprised him just how much DINAO's confusion disappointed him.

The ringmaster ran into the ring.

"What's up people!" He screamed. "This is the fight you've all been waiting for!"

The crowd screamed and the final fight for the night was on.

A few minutes later Wildfire and Sting were circling each other in the ring and while the crowd went wild the fighters went silent and focused, each one carefully analyzing the fighters in the ring.

Wildfire was like his name. Flashy, hotheaded, raging, powerful, so close to out of control he appeared to be just that if you didn't know what to look for, if you couldn't spot the fine strings of titanium discipline that held him together. The Dragon's Den only held prized fighters.

Sting though. He was surprisingly small for a fighter, slender and short but he was fast and he seemed to be able to predict his opponent's moves with uncanny ability. He wasn't the hardest hitter on the block but he could hit well enough to make an impact and he was an amazing judge of where to land his blows.

It made Kili feel like he was watching chess and checkers collide over a single playing field and he didn't quite know how to even begin to predict the outcome. At least not so early in the game.

Wildfire landed a flurry of blows on Sting and finished with a truly painful roundhouse that sent Sting flying. He hit the ropes and rolled to his feet like he'd never been hit.

Kili couldn't help the half-grin he gave at that. That was damn impressive for anyone to do and he appreciated the move. DINAO however was dismissive of Sting's resilience.

In the ring Sting ducked under one of Wildfire's kicks, swept his legs out from under him and brought him down to the ground, jumping him with a grappling hold.

"Idiot," said Foehammer, referring to wildfire.

"Idiot," echoed DINAO a second later. But unlike Foehammer who sounded exasperated, he sounded amused. Kili glanced at him and found that he was in fact, amused but he looked almost glad that Wildfire might lose the fight. Scratch that, he was glad and Kili stopped himself from frowning again.

He was reminded of being pissed at the Lion Prince for his attitude towards Troll but even then, the Lion Prince had been coolly detached, disgusted as well too Kili had to allow. Still, he hadn't found joy in his denmate's loss.

And the look of amusement DINAO chose to share with Kili showed no kinship, no fondness for his denmate, just a sort of spiteful sharpness. Bright and fire, Kili thinks, looking at his amused eyes but he couldn't help but be glad at the moment that that bright fire wasn't residing under his skin.

Kili snorts nonchalantly in response to DINAO's look, neither agreeing with him nor disagreeing and turns his attention back to the fight.

Wildfire manages to struggle out of the hold and brings the fight up from the floor again. Sting takes the short way out by tackling his feet.

"Oohhh!" most of the den fighters yelled in exasperation as Wildfire got dragged back down to the mat again. Kili figured it was because grappling was Wildfire's weakest point.

"Yeah!" the rest of the fighters yelled in response.

Kili winced when Sting got a vicious punch to the face but the small man kept his grip and even managed to tighten it.

"Spin!" hissed Foehammer to Wildfire who obviously could not hear him.

"Idiot," said DINAO again to Wildfire who did not spin. He sounded so damn smug about himself though, as if everyone was beneath him.

Kili ignored him. If he didn't he might just punch him in the face and if they did end up being related, that probably wasn't the best way to introduce yourself.

Wildfire was now attempting to spin about five seconds after it would have been useful. Kili sympathized. He hated those moments when you only figured out what to do when it wouldn't help you.

"Choke him out," Kili yelled his voice immediately becoming lost in the din of voices hollering at the fight. The crowd was going wild, betters were trying to escape and Sting, Sting wasn't letting go.

A few more seconds and then Wildfire, all that fierce power, slumped unconscious, downed by the lack of oxygen. Kili found it ironic.

"Idiot!" said Foehammer, looking thoroughly annoyed. "I showed him how to get out that hold a million times. And what does he do?"

"Gets stung?" Kili interjects helpfully. Foehammer gives him a look, and then as the announcer is screaming who the winner is, his face flows into a smooth mask, one Kili knows well from his fight with him.

Besides him Kili feels DINAO's mood shift. He is still cheerful, all amusement however, is gone, stripped out of him viciously and he is as tense as a coiled string.

"See you next time boys," Killer says amiably and Kili can hear just how businesslike he is.

The Den fighters duck under the ropes and make their back to the prep. room. They flow out and they're all business, the terrifying fighters they all were when they had seen them the first time. The terrifying fighters they still are.

Kili shifts so that he can catch a glimpse of the Lion Prince as he slips out the ropes. For a brief second their eyes catch and even though the messages they send gets lost in translation, they still feel strangely crystal clear. Because Kili knows those dark, iced eyes, and the Lion Prince, well, apparently he knows whatever it is that hides in Kili's eyes.


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! I hope you guys have a great one!!! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter even though it's a little bit of a filler.

"Interrogation is proceeding at the accepted pace Mr. Durin," said Detective Bowman icily in response to Thorin's pointed question."Be glad you are not in the interrogation room as well."

Thorin gave a regal nod but anyone could see he was smirking internally. No doubt it contributed to Bowman's dislike of him.

"Thank you for your update Detective," Kili spoke up before his uncle could, thereby drawing attention to himself and away from Thorin. Detective Bowman looked at him and nodded politely. He hadn't quite decided what to think of him, Kili knew. He was aware on some level that Kili was the heir to the company and had been involved in the firefights but still he was young and his youth apparently had stymied the Detective in figuring out what kind of person he was. It didn't help that Kili was nothing but professional when addressing the Detective and had shown none of his Uncle's tendency to superiority.

That he had been wounded in the firefight was clearly in evidence but he held himself like it didn't matter and it was at odds with his youth. Kili hoped that he kept the Detective unbalanced about him so he wouldn't figure out that it had been his plan to draw the ORCS in to attack. So long as he underestimated him they would keep him off balance and if he was to appear more pleasant to deal with than his uncle so much for the better, he may be on the receiving end of information that his Uncle might not be.

He had to fight to keep his own smirk in check. Balin and Bofur had taught him well and he found that his dealings with the den was forcing him to learn how to keep his emotions from showing and how to traverse tricky, tension-charged atmospheres.

"Yes well," Bowman continued, "this investigation involves your company as the ORCS seem to be targeting you. It would be remiss of us not to keep you updated on the situation as it involves not only you but your clients."

"You have our thanks," Kili told him, "Our own safety matters not to us as much as that of our clients. We do endeavor to keep them safe and be worthy of the trust they put in us."

"Save me the sales pitch," Bowman said but not crossly.

"It is our sales pitch," Kili told him, "Because it is precisely how we feel." He shrugged a negligent shoulder, the one on his injured side. Bowman's eyes narrowed at the movement and he no doubt caught Kili's attempt at convincing him he was sincere.

A smile hovered around the edge of his lips before his eyes hardened. "I too am tasked with the protection of the citizens of Dale, all of them, Mr. Durin," he said to Kili and Kili heard the warning in his words.

"Then we understand each other," Kili said pleasantly and Detective Bowman smiled. It was a warrior's smile and one Kili understood well.

"Yes." He said, "I think we do."

Kili nodded pleasantly back, his eyes showing no hint of the fiery determination in him but rather a suggestion of it. It wouldn't do for the good Detective to know what he was truly capable of just yet.

Detective Bowman got up, shook Thorin's hand and swept out the room. As soon as he left every head turned to Kili.

"What?" he said.

Bofur burst out laughing.

* * *

"What?" said Kili again after Bofur dragged him from the room.

"Well done lad," he said approvingly.

"I didn't do anything," said Kili, "Except take his attention from Uncle Thorin."

"The fact that you did that alone is good enough," Bofur told him. "But you did much more than that. It was your first time in external company business and you handled it well."

Kili flushed a little at the praise and shrugged with his good shoulder.

"I suppose all the lessons had to count for something, right?"

"Did you pay attention?" said Bofur in mock surprise and Kili shoved at him playfully.

* * *

In the room they had just left, Balin gave Thorin a look.

"The lad did well," he noted.

Thorin rolled a pen between his fingers.

"This time," he allowed.

Balin gave him another look. "I think it is not the last time he will do so," he said.

Thorin tossed the pen on the desk. "I will not get my hopes up,' he said, "Kili is known for his disappointing acts."

"Aye," agreed Balin. "But he is a quick learner when he pays attention. And driven to perfection as any who plays the role of sniper. I have never seen him so alert to the subtleties of a room nor did I think he would be able to play it so well. Which in all honesty Thorin, he did better than you."

Thorin glared at Balin but conceded the point. "You could make a formidable team if you work together," Balin said. "Let the lad into a meeting now and then. He knows well enough when to keep his mouth shut. I think at this point the most damaging thing he can do is just not contribute."

Thorin though about it but shook his head. "Two good showings are not enough," he said, "I can't trust him with the company yet. He is still too volatile and he still conducts himself like a child with all his night time escapades. He is not ready nor deserving of the responsibility of this company."

"I understand all that," said Balin, "I do, but Thorin, haven't you noticed?"

Thorin cocked his head at Balin's serious tone. "Noticed what?"

Balin sighed and got up to leave.

"What?" asked Thorin when he realized Balin was going to leave without answering. Balin paused in the doorway.

"That Kili, is becoming Kili Durin and not just Thorin Durin's nephew." And with that he left, leaving Thorin chewing on his words.

* * *

"So what now?" Kili asked his mother. He had stopped off at her office after leaving Bofur to get to his own work.

"I'm not sure," answered Dis. "Believe me, we've been giving it some thought. The other companies have taken over a lot of our contracts temporarily but even they cannot stretch themselves so thin as to cover all of our contracts."

"But that does leave us with more people to beef up our security," Kili pointed out.

"Yes," agreed Dis. "But the remaining clients are not at all pleased."

"The extra security won't reassure them?"

"No," said Dis, "The mere fact that they might be attacked is making some of them nervous and one even said if he doesn't drop us, his insurance will not pay out if he does get attacked because he continued to keep us and we are a known risk."

"Wait can they even do that?" asked Kili frowning.

"We're checking," said Dis sighing. "But in any event, be prepared for a hectic work schedule. We will protect the clients we are still guarding from any serious harm to their business and that means everyone is rotating out more."

"Gotcha," Kili said even while he wondered how he was supposed to fit in this with the tournament schedule.

"Now go on with you," said Dis, "You're with Nori today and be glad I'm not forcing you to help me work out rosters."

Kili nodded, kissed his mother on the cheek and beat a hasty retreat from her office. Nothing was worse than trying to make out the monthly roster. He would even take another motorcycle over it. He made his way over to the control room where he found Nori who cheerfully threw one of Bomber's pies at him when he entered.

Kili caught it with a grin and settled in the chair next to Nori. "What are we doing today?" Nori slid him a mischievous look.

Kili eyed him and then said cautiously, "Do I want to know?"

"Oh, yes," said Nori, "Don't tell Thorin."

"You do know I'm already in trouble, right?" Kili asked him.

"We're all in trouble," Nori told him.

Kili considered and then conceded the point. "Alright." After a pause he added,"You have more pies, right?"

"Who do you think I am?" asked Nori and Kili laughed and they got to work.


	34. Fueled By The Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And now some Fili

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoy!

_Thud! Thud!_  The bag screams out its protest as I hit it. I jump back to avoid the swinging bag, using the opportunity to shift my stance. I meet the bag at the extreme end of its swing, causing it to rock back harshly in the other direction. I followed up with some jabs and then twist to add a high kick.

Around me the Dragon's Den is alive with movement like it always is this time of day. D.I.N.A.O is hauling himself up a rope to the ceiling using his arms alone. Foehammer and Diamondbone were sparring in the ring. Troll and Wildfire were working on conditioning Troll. Slingshot held Killer's legs while he did up sit-ups and Ripclaw and Giant were skipping in a corner of the room. Cave and Uncatchable were wrapping up their hands in preparation to spar in the next ring.

The Dragon is standing in the doorway watching all of us coolly. It is, I think, a boon now that we are accustomed to working under pressure or the Dragon would have known that there tension present and none of us, even those who are his, wants the Dragon to know. It is too early in the game for the price of his attention to be worth it.

A part of me wants to laugh at the irony at being grateful for the hell that was my childhood. The greater part of me is simply neutral; waiting to see how today plays out.

The Dragon leaves the doorway and walks between us threading his way slowly, inspecting the jewels of his hoard. Foehammer and Diamondbone pass his inspection but barely. DINAO is descending the rope now keeping at a measured, punishing pace and is forced to go back up the rope without a reprieve for fear he will bring censure upon himself.

The Dragon moves on from him and reach to where Slingshot and Killer have exchanged places. Slingshot gets a not too gentle kick on the side when his form falters slightly, and the Dragon threads his fingers through Killers hair and tugs as he admonishes him gently for not picking up on his den mate's mistake and correcting him. The veins pop out of Killer's neck as his anger rises and his throat is forcibly bared.

"This won't happen in the future, will it?" asked The Dragon in his deep smooth tone, perfectly calm and so at odds with the muscle coiling in his arm as he yanks Killer's head back.

"Of course not," Killer gasps out pleasantly and the Dragon smiles.

Cave and Uncatchable have stepped into the ring in the interim and I sigh mentally. Cave has always been on the lower spectrum of the Dragon's fighters and the Dragon still harbors displeasure at Uncatchable's defeat in the tournament.

I ignore them and apply myself to the punching bag. DINAO joins me at the bag next to me. Behind us there is the sound of Cave giving a muffled groan. That is not Uncatchable doing. Uncatchable sharper gasp is heard next but the two of them are back on their feet in seconds. They manage a creditable enough showing so the Dragon does not fly into one of his rages.

The Dragon leaves the ring and moves over to where Ripclaw and Giant were skipping. After observing them keenly for a half-hour he leaves. I give them my grudging respect. It is not easy to skip for a half hour when you already tired and not make a single mistake.

The Dragon ambles over to where Unstoppable and Knockout are grappling. Unstoppable is demonstrating a technique to Knockout. The Dragon sits at the edge of the mat and gives pointers on occasion. When next I glance at the mirrors behind the punching bag he is on the mat with them, arranging Knockout's limbs in the proper positions and explaining why.

A quick flick of Unstoppable's eyes thanks Ripclaw and Giant for putting him in a better mood. I move from the punching bags, take a drink of water and then head over to the weight sets.

It is some fifteen minutes when the Dragon's shadow falls over me.

"No spotter my Lion Prince?" he asks. "One might think you're asking for an injury."

"I can handle an injury better than the others can bear a loss of their training time," I answer negligently.

The Dragon laughs. "Oh so confident Lion, but," he continued as he moves to spot me, "remember that you are mine and I do not take to any injuring of mine with so frail a reason as stupidity or pride."

"As I recall," I said coolly, "You said that confidence is knowing precisely what you are capable of and what you are not."

"I did, didn't I?" he mused, "I think that I should remind you exactly of what you're capable of."

I said nothing but met his gaze. It wasn't a challenge but neither was I backing down. The ice in my eyes reflected the blackness inside me and he was pleased to see it there. He moved and slide another of the weight ring on the bar, and then another to balance on the other side.

I breathed in deeply, smoothly and braced myself as more and more weight was added until my arms trembled uncontrollably. But still my gaze met his when he leaned over me. After a long moment reached down and brushed a streak of sweat from my forehead.

"You will be more careful in the future will you not my Lion prince?" And then his arm swung out and hit both my elbows, unlocking them and forcing me to drop the bar. He caught it with his other hand before it hit me.

He watched me with the bar hovering over my chest and said, "I'd hate for you to find out that your confidence is misplaced."

"So too would I," I said blandly. "But I have no fear of that. You did train me after all." His eyes narrowed to slits but then he smiled.

"And you'd do well to remember that training." With that he let go of the bar and swept out of the room.

I hissed as I caught the bar stopping it inches before it hit me. My muscles screamed and stretched but I dug down, past the crystal, past the dark ruthlessness, past the part of me that loved and reveled in the pain of sore muscles and blood that wasn't mine and reached for the sun that had been so long buried inside me until I'd thought it was snuffed out. And then I bared my teeth and pushed the bar up and tilted it to let the weight rings slide off one side and let go when enough had fallen off so that the bar tilted the other way and fell with a resounding clang.

I rocked off the machine and stood breathing for a few minutes whilst I fought with my fear of the dragon, my rage and the molten fire of two suns now, that hid in my eyes. When I looked up the training room went silent and I knew I hadn't been successful in burning the light and ruthless darkness that lay inside me. But this time I didn't care; for the Dragon had tested my limits and I had won. It was not the first time I had done so, but it was the first time I had done so without twisting more of me, without being shattered by Dragon fire. It was the first time I had done so, fueled by the sun.


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!!

Hacking the city cams was not only going to get them in trouble, it was going to send them to jail.

"I'm going to be the voice of reason here," said Kili, in between bites of pie, "and point out that we just narrowly evaded a court case."

"And I'm going to point out that we'll lose everything if we don't stop the O.R.C.S." Nori said cheerfully.

"From one rulebreaker to another," said Kili, "we should probably choose the rules we break. Also have backup if we going to break more than we can handle."

"From one more experienced rule breaker to another," Nori retorted, "sometimes you have to do anything. Sometimes," he added quietly, "it's worth it."

Kili fell silent and then sighed. "I know. I understand." And he did. His search for Fili fell much in the same bracket or would have if the company didn't have his back. "If we go to jail I'm blaming you though," he said to lighten the mood.

"If we go to jail," said Nori, "I'm throwing Thorin under the bus."

"That'll send you to jail for murder," Kili deadpanned.

Nori thumped him on the shoulder.

"Okay so why did we just hack the city cams?" Kili asked, finishing off the pie and dusting off his fingers.

"We need to figure out where the ORCS are coming from," Nori said. "If we know where they are hiding out, we could take the fight to them. We can't allow any more of our customers being attacked."

"They could avoid the cameras," Kili pointed out, "I do it myself."

"Not all of them," Nori said, "There's far too many of them."

"And," said Kili, "provided that you find out where they are hiding how are you going to tell Thorin without admitting that you hacked the cams? How are we going to inform the police without admitting we hacked the cams?"

"There is this lovely thing called anonymous tips," Nori told him, even as his fingers continued to fly across the keys.

Kili sighed. "That's not going to fool anyone."

"It doesn't have to," Nori replied.

"Fair enough," Kili replied and then jerked startled as the door to Nori's domain was ripped open and someone dived inside. The door was slammed shut and a disheveled Ori put his finger warningly on his lips.

Both Kili and Nori blinked at him but didn't say a word. Ori pressed his ear to the door, listening and after a moment slumped in relief. He back away from the door, and sat in the last empty chair, breathing hard. He reached into his jacket and then pulled out a squished bag and offered it to them.

Kili reached for the bag, opened it, stared inside and said, "I love you."

Nori snatched the bag from Kili stared at the pies inside and said to Ori, "I knew there was a reason you were my favorite brother."

Ori snorted at both of them and said, "Bomber's on the warpath. Do not appear with crumbs on your person. He accosted Thorin five minutes ago. Turns out it was crumbs from a late breakfast of toast."

"What?" said Kili, trying and failing not to laugh as he imagined Thorin being manhandled for pies he hadn't stolen.

Nori did him one better and found the footage. They were re-watching it for a second time and dying with laughter, when the door was ripped open once more.

Thorin stalked in, stared at the screens, stared at Ori, who cringed and then closed to door. He walked up to where Kili and Nori were frozen, the laughter having died a quick death somewhere in the region of their throats, and leaned over and plucked up the bag of pies.

"The next time someone decides to steal from Bomber, at least have the good grace to give me one of these so I'd actually be accosted for a reason," he said, fishing a cheese pie out.

Ori gaped at him and Kili let out started laugh. Nori just grinned and tossed him another pie from his stash. Thorin caught it and said to Nori, "I came to inform you that the new cameras have arrived at Dale's Everlast. As I'm heading there myself I thought you would want a ride."

"Sure," said Nori, "Let me just type in these last two lines of code. I'll meet you at the car."

"Fine," said Thorin, then he paused, "Lines of code for what?"

"You don't want to know," Kili said, "Or Nori will throw you under the bus."

Thorin blinked, frowned, then decided that he really didn't want to know. "I'll be at the car," he said and walked out with his pies.

Three seconds later, they heard Bomber's voice yelling, "Thorin!"

The three of them looked at each other. "Oops?" said Ori. Kili burst into laughter.

* * *

Kili wasn't allowed to go with the company for their next rotation. Oin refused to clear him for active duty so he spent his shift at the communications switchboard, monitoring the teams that were out in the field. Luckily, the last few days had been quiet and people were speculating that the last encounter with the O.R.C.S had damaged them badly.

Kili was hoping that they'd realize that it was too much trouble to keep coming after them and would just up and quit. It was a pipe dream though. If the O.R.C.S had held a grudge from since before Kili was born, they wouldn't give up now.

* * *

The next night he had free, happily coincided with the next fight night. He headed off to the next location, waving to Nori through the cameras in the building as well as the city cams before he started to actively avoid them.

The last two fights were happening tonight and Kili was, needless to say, very interested in the outcome.

When he entered the Night Den, he almost went deaf from the noise. The place was packed out. Kili stared blankly at the size of the crowd, wondering what had drawn so many of them before he realized the very obvious answer: the Lion Prince was fighting tonight.

Kili made his way through the crowd, wincing every time someone bumped into him and finally made it over to the section with the other fighters. He was actually early today and there was only Whiplash and Sting there.

Sting grinned at Kili, his face marred by fading bruises. Kili grinned good-naturedly back at him and dropped into a chair next to him.

"Where's everyone else?" he asked.

"We're the only ones from our side here," Sting shouted back over the crowd. "The Den is here but they're in the prep rooms still."

Whiplash moved over to sit on Sting's other side and gave Kili a challenging grin. "It'll be our turn soon," he said.

"Nah," said Kili, "Just mine." His future opponent tossed back his head and laughed.

"You wish," he retorted good-naturedly.

"I don't," said Kili, in equal good humor, "I calculate."

Sting snorted at them and said, "Save it for the ring you two." They grinned cheerfully and challengingly at each other over his head and subsided.

Movement in their direction brought Kili's gaze to Graylin who was making his way through to the crowd to them. To Kili's surprise he was joined by Killer. The two of them slipped under the ropes and into their section. They both dropped into the last empty seats next to Kili.

"Early today!" Graylin said.

"Yeah," Kili shouted back. He leaned backward to get a good look of Killer's face and raised an eyebrow.

Killer smirked and said, "I wanted to see all the fights. We've got a few debut fights tonight."

"Really?" asked Kili, interested. Debut fights usually were a toss-up between interesting or boring-the-audience-out-of-their-mind. Still, Kili liked to see them because it was good indicator of what the latest generation of fighters were like and every now and then, you saw something you didn't before.

"Four I think," Killer said.

"Cool," Kili replied and settled back in his chair.

Around the third fight of the night, a handful of Den fighters joined them. Foehammer poked playfully at Kili's shoulder when he passed him and Kili tugged at his long hair in revenge. DINAO settled in the seat directly behind Kili though and he instantly tensed.

He didn't know why DINAO made him uneasy because there was a good chance that he could be Fili. But Kili did not trust him at his back. He did not like him at his back when he could not predict what he would do.

Graylin sensed Kili's unease and gave him a sidelong look. Kili forcibly relaxed. Graylin gave him another, unreadable look and then focused on the current fight. Kili decided to emulate him and focused on the fight instead of the subtle but swirling tension that curled between the Den fighters.

The next four début fights happily fell on the interesting side. Both winners and losers put up a great showing and Kili looked forward to seeing them in future fights. The tournament section was filled with loud cheers, and exasperated critiques of the fledgling ring fighters and for that space of time, the tension seemed to have disappeared. But when the first tournament fight was announced everyone quieted and the tension flowed back, subtler than ever.

Kili ignored it all and leaned back to observe whilst Graylin leaned forward. DINAO propped up his elbows on the back of Kili's chair and rested his chin on his arms. RingMaster came out first from one of the prep rooms and Kili and the rest of the outside fighters yelled support for him.

Music blared a minute later and then Diamondbone came walking out. He yelled back to the crowd, charismatic and cocky, and then slipped between the ropes, into the ring. The Den fighters yelled for their denmate but Kili caught DINAO's quiet huff of amusement.

He was careful not to react. Instead he clapped politely for Diamondbone and then covered his ears as the announcer screamed into the mike, drawing the crowd into a greater frenzy. When they were worked up to the point that they were practically frothing at the mouth, the announcer relinquished the ring to the referee who pulled the two fighters together. The referee explained the rules and then sent them back into their corners. The bell rung, the fighters advanced and the fight began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think!!


	36. Chapter 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next two tournament fights.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy!

Diamondbone was an infighter and he was one of those that would become the stuff of legend. Kili would have paid money to see him go up against Foehammer in a serious fight. RingMaster was an out-fighter and a grappler extraordinaire. It was definitely going to an interesting matchup.

Kili tried to dredge up memory of Diamondbone's fight, but his had been after Kili's and he didn't remember much of those. They circled each other warily, Diamondbone seeking to step in close to RingMaster and RingMaster, stepping away from him, determined not to let him get close or trap him.

Diamondbone darted in, a crushing jab flickering out. Ringmaster dodged and danced away then darted back in and landed a blow. Diamondbone absorbed the blow and twisted down, leg lifting and snapped a wicked high kick into RingMaster's guard. RingMaster staggered back and Diamondbone bone took the chance to drop his leg and follow up with a roundhouse with the other leg.

Ringmaster took the blow, staggered but didn't fall. He too twisted to bring a side kick in but Diamondbone dived to the side and then whirled bringing him closer to RingMaster's unprotected body whilst his leg was still extended.

RingMaster got a wicked elbow in the face. Another jab sent him to the floor. He tangled his legs with Diamondbone's and dragged him to the floor with him and jumped like a crocodile ambushing his prey.

They scrambled on the floor, Diamondbone struggling to get out from under RingMaster and RingMaster struggling to keep his advantage. They were a tangle of heaving limbs that spun this way and that on the sweat-slick mat.

RingMaster got in a particularly nasty punch and stunned Diamondbone enough for him to get a chance to get a proper grappling hold on the Den fighter.

Diamondbone struggled against the grip, muscles bulging with the force he was applying but it seemed to be futile. At least at first. Inch by inch he began pulling against the hold. His back arched to give him leverage as he forcibly tore himself out of Ringmaster's grip; his shoulders were pulled back, his whole body resting painfully on them and his heels which were digging into the mat.

"Does he not have joints?" asked Kili rhetorically.

"Or nerves?" said Sting, "Does he not have nerves?"

Diamondbone arched as high as he could and then dropped suddenly. The sudden drop made RingMaster's legs lose tension so that when Diamondbone arced back up half a second later, RingMaster's legs, slid off Diamondbone's and Diamondbone pulled his arm free.

Diamondbone rolled away and popped up to his feet. RingMaster scrambled to a standing position and settled back into a crouch. Diamondbone gave RingMaster a terrifying smile, rolled his shoulders to loosen them and then settled back in a fighter's crouch.

The atmosphere in the ring switched. It was as if Diamondbone had been playing all the time and had now settled down to really fight. Ringmaster obviously felt the switch and brought his hands in more defensively. Big mistake, Kili noted. He'd practically accepted defeat just by letting himself be cowed.

DINAO snorted, the puff of air ruffling Kili's hair. "Idiot," he said, "The RingMaster ought to know that's not how you conquer the ring."

Kili didn't bother to respond to the snide tone.

The two fighters circled each other again and then Diamondbone moved.

"Damn," said Kili involuntarily. He was fast. Faster than he'd moved all night and judging from Graylin's surprised twitch, faster than he'd ever moved in the ring. Ringmaster moved to dodge him but Diamondbone forced him to the ropes with a few cleverly calculated blows.

Then, with Ringmaster trapped, he moved in for the kill. The blows were crushing on their own, the sound of them cracking across the arena but as per usual, the Den fighter's name was not arbitrary. Diamondbone may not have been as strong as Foehammer or the Lion Prince but damn, the blows he landed, stung.

When he cracked open Ringmasters guard, he shifted from using fists to using elbows. The pointed, very hard, joints knifed through Ringmasters flesh. Both cheekbones were laid open, his collarbone was broken, his jaw dislocated and some ribs were defiantly cracked or broken.

The final uppercut ended things soon after and RingMaster slumped to the ground. The referee counted down and proclaimed Diamondbone the winner. Diamondbone raised his hand in victory and then tugged his semi-conscious opponent into a more comfortable position on the mat to ease his weight off the breaks.

They spoke for a few moments, clasping hands for a fight well done and then Diamondbone was shouting to the crowd as he disappeared back into the prep rooms.

The ring minions came and carried RingMaster out of the ring and dumped him in one of the other prep rooms and then set about preparing the ring for the next fight. Bets were being placed furiously, and unbelievably, even more people appeared.

"If there's a fire, we're all dead," said Kili, his security training taking over.

Graylin huffed a laugh and DINAO made a curious noise, like he didn't know what to make of that statement. Killer outright laughed like there was some inside joke only he knew.

Kili frowned at him and then gave up trying to understand. Graylin leaned back and then said, "How long do you think this match will last?"

Kili contemplated. "Danger didn't do so bad," he said.

Killer started to laugh again. Kili ignored him this time.

Graylin kept looking at him so Kili sighed and gave a time. "Two minutes?"

"I should like to think it will be longer than that," DINAO said coolly. "This is the second stage of the competition."

Killer laughed harder and Kili said, "Something you want to add?"

Killer, still laughing, shook his head. "Just a hunch," he said a moment later. He settled down after a bit and then the betting was being wrapped up, the ring was prepared and the announcer was bouncing into the ring, screaming unintelligently as usual.

The crowd responded vigorously to his questions and eventually started to chant, "Fight, fight, fight!"

"Let's bring on our contenders! Here is the man called Butcher! He'll chop you up and sell you!"

Kili rolled his eyes and Sting snorted with laughter.

Butcher ran into the room, pumping his arms and vaulted into the ring. People cheered hysterically until Kili's ears rang and then the announcer, said something that apparently ended with, 'Lion Prince.'

Music blared, the noise level went beyond deafening and then the Lion Prince was strolling out coolly. He held out his arms from his side as if saying, 'Look at me. Who can beat me?'

The crowd ate it up and roared louder. Kili clapped his hands over his ears again until the Lion Prince slipped between the ropes. The announcer slid out, the referee called the two fighters together, gave them the rules and then sent them into their respective corners.

A moment later the bell rung and the two fighters advanced. Butcher erupted from his corner like a formula one race car from the starting line. He crashed into the mat in the same spectacular fashion, out cold.

The crowd went into silence as the Lion Prince calmly retracted his fist from the last of the three lightning fast moves he had used to disable Butcher.

"Oh wow," said Sting involuntarily into the silence.

His statement broke the silence and the crowd erupted.

Kili leaned towards Graylin and shouted, "Good thing I didn't bet with that time!"

Killer, somehow overheard him and started laughing. The referee lifted the Lion Prince's hand in victory and then the blond Den fighter was out the ring and heading back to the prep room. Kili blinked at his retreating back and then jumped up, dislodging DINAO from the back of his chair and sliding through the ropes after the Lion Prince.

When he finally made it through the thronging crowd, the Lion Prince was sitting on one of the benches inside capping back his bottle of water. Kili stood in the doorway and flopped his arms in a 'what the hell?' gesture.

A blond eyebrow raised coolly but his frosted blue eyes held a hint of amusement. Kili was pretty sure most people though would have taken one look at the Lion Prince and apologize for intruding on his sight.

Kili stalked in, glared at him and said, "What the hell was that?"

"A fight cub," he responded coolly, "I thought you knew what that was."

"That," said Kili sitting next to him, "was not a fight. I'm pretty sure that was a massacre."

The Lion Prince shrugged negligently but his manner was very pleased.

"You're a smug bastard," Kili informed him.

"Confidence cub," he murmured.

"Confidence is good," said Kili, "but you're not being confident, you're being smug."

"Pot, meet kettle."

Kili gave up at because he didn't have a defense and instead tugged at one of his hands. The Lion Prince raised an eyebrow again but let him have his hand. Kili set to work removing the wraps from the arm.

They sat in companionable silence whilst he worked and when he finished the Lion Prince's right hand, he gave Kili his left without comment. Kili unwound his other hand taking note of the callouses that spread over his knuckles, the toughness of the skin, the tiny, healed cuts that littered over his fingers. He recognized the scars from dagger work and those that beginners of sword fighting, often accumulated.

"Sword, daggers and what else?" he asked twisting the Lion Prince's hand to get a better view of the scars.

"Ball and chain, spear," he replied.

"Never did ball and chain," Kili said, "It's not really suited for my frame."

"No," said the Lion Prince, "it isn't."

"Never really did spear either. I did do staff though."

The Lion Prince shrugged and Kili inspected the knuckles of the hand he held and found several cuts that had reopened on them, even through the wraps. He looked around, spotted the bag with the Lion Prince's stuff and went over to it.

He came up triumphant with salve and brought it back and smeared it all over the Lion Prince's knuckles.

"Are you going to kiss it better too?" came his cool, sardonic response,

Kili snorted and said, "I'd lick it to make sure it got infected." His reply startled a laugh from the Lion Prince.

"No thanks," said the blond. Kili released his hand and leaned back against the wall. The Lion Prince raised an eyebrow at Kili's ribs and Kili shrugged.

"They're healing,"

"They're not going to be healed when you have to fight."

"My problem," Kili said shrugging again.

Something like approval lit in the Lion Prince's eyes. Still he said, "And you think you can still win?"

Kili snorted. "Not an amateur here. It's not the first time I've fought while injured."

The Lion Prince leaned back as well. "Fair enough," he says.

After a moment, he took a swing of his water again and offered the bottle to Kili. Kili wiped off the top and tipped it over his mouth, the cool water soothing his poor abused throat gained from shouting to be heard over the crowd.

He handed back the bottle and the Lion Prince dumped the remainder over his head. Kili hissed and leaned away to avoid being sprinkled with water.

"You barely broke a sweat!" he protested. He got an eyes-only smirk in return and then the Lion Prince got up and went in search of his shoes.

Kili huffed and then began the arduous process of rolling back up the wraps. He had just started on the second one when the Lion Prince returned, sporting shoes and a gray t-shirt he had pulled on. He leaned against the wall and waited patiently for Kili to finish.

Kili worked with the ease of long practice and soon finished the second. He handed both over to the Lion Prince, stood, sliding his arms into his jacket pockets and said, "See you at the next fight." Then he whisked out the room, with the Lion Prince's amusement following him out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing fluff between these two is hard since one barely talks and the other doesn't know what to say.


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have another chapter! Enjoy!!

"Anything?" Kili asked. Nori's program had been running for two days now.

Nori shook his head. "They're laying low for now."

Kili sighed. "Part of me is glad," he said, "But a part of me just wants it all to be over."

"I know how you feel lad," said Nori, "But it gives us more time to prepare."

Kili nodded. "How are our preparations?"

"Good so far," said Nori, "You and Ori are slated to make sure we covered all angles later."

"Okay," said Kili. He settled down to watch the cameras that were spying on the unsuspecting citizens of Dale.

* * *

Oin grudgingly cleared him for light duty the next rotation. Kili was happy even though he basically regulated to lookout and was forced to only carry a pistol. No sniping for him. Oin even locked up his rifle.

They found themselves in one of their larger client's building, Dale's Everlast. Kili was perched on the top floor with a binoculars, along with one of the other snipers from Erebor Corps. It was, Kili, noted, the same sniper that had been shooting from the building next to him the night they had attacked the ORCS.

Due to the attacks, there were twice the usual number of people here. It made Kili feel a little itchy because he was accustomed to working with the company but at the same time he was glad because it would give them an edge if the ORCS attacked.

The night passed rather quietly until about 1'o clock. Kili was scanning the grounds whilst the sniper was scanning the outer perimeter. He felt more than saw the other sniper tense.

"What is it?" Kili asked.

"Movement," the sniper, James, Kili suddenly remembered his name, said.

"Movement," Kili reported, scanning with his night vision binoculars.

"ORCS?" asked Thorin's voice.

"No," said James after a moment. "Ordinary robbers I guess."

"Just great," Kili said, annoyed.

"I see them," Nori said. "Looks like a 10-man job."

"That's…" Ori paused, "That's just bad planning," he said.

"I hope it's just bad planning," said Kili, "and not a distraction."

"Don't we all," muttered one of the other employees.

"Nori, give them a warning," said Thorin, "Let's keep our bullets for the ORCS."

Nori activated the alarm system.

Loud wails blared and Kili saw the men sneaking in jump. They looked around wildly and then the retreated back the way they came.

"They've moved back," James reported.

Nori cut the alarm and everyone tensed waiting to see if they were really gone. After ten minutes of inactivity, they slowly relaxed. The would-be thieves had probably left. Kili scanning the outer perimeter this time paused as a figure suddenly revealed itself.

"I think we have company," he said.

"Again?" said Bofur.

"Is that…?" said James. Then he and Kili were both diving away from the windows, through the door and into the corridor.

An explosion rocked the building.

"No really," said Kili, coughing as he pulled himself upright, "Was there a sale on rocket launchers, because we seem to be running into a lot of them lately?"

"Rocket launcher R Us?" said James even as he struggled to his feet. Kili's ribs protested as he too stood.

"Kili, James!" said Nori, "Are you two alright?"

"Concussed maybe," said James, "But functional."

"So our thieves have a rocket launcher and for some reason they decided to hit the top floor," Kili responded.

"Probably to take out the snipers," Dwalin growled.

"They're highly inefficient," Ori said.

"The insurance," sighed Balin.

"I just put in cameras in this building," Nori said sounding pissed.

"How about we deter them from getting any further?" Thorin growled.

"I would," said Kili, "But someone locked up my gun."

"Not you Kili," snapped Oin, "You're last the line of defense."

James flashed Kili a sympathetic look even as he ran over to the shattered front of the top floor. He quickly aimed with his rifle while Kili grabbed his binoculars and scanned the field.

The 10 man team had apparently become 25.

"10 o' clock," he called to James. James shifted and shot and Kili called out again, "2 o' clock."

Another shot rang out. "Five." Then, "11 o' clock." Two more shots in rapid succession, with James just taking half a second to line up the shots that Kili called out; the whole set-up shaving seconds of the usual procedure.

"Take it from here," Kili said, noticing that the robbers were spreading out. He crawled over to the edge, taking care on the unstable building floor, drew his gun and shot downwards at the approaching men.

"Is a Glock supposed to make that shot?" James asked him conversationally.

"Tonight it does," Kili told him, taking careful aim again.

The would-be robbers didn't actually make it to the front doors. The company called the police and ambulances to save those that they could, for their court cases.

"When it rains it pours," said Balin staring up at the ruined top floor of Dale Everlast.

"You mean when it pours it drowns us in paperwork," Kili said to him.

"Thank you for volunteering," said Balin.

"What!" said Kili, "I did not!"

"You're a good lad," Balin continued as if Kili had said nothing.

"No, I'm not," Kili sputtered. He would have argued further if he hadn't noticed Nori also staring up at the building with a dark frown.

"Cousin?" he said, walking over to him.

Nori just snorted in response.

"What's wrong?" asked Kili.

"What's wrong?" Nori let out a harsh laugh. "I set up a program for ORCS and they don't show up. This idiot goon squad did."

"That's a problem?" Kili asked slowly.

"You said it yourself Kili," Nori snapped, "We've been running into rocket launchers a lot these days. But that's only been the ORCS. None of our usual thieves in Dale have that sort of weaponry. So where did these get it?"

Kili took a moment to work out what he was saying. "You think… You think the ORCS gave it to them, to attack us?"

"What better way to wear us down while they recuperate?" Nori said bitterly.

"We have no proof," Kili said trying to calm him.

"No but I have a gut," Nori snapped back, "And it's telling me the ORCS are behind this." He stalked off, leaving Kili staring after him. After a moment though he ran after him.

"Hey," said Kili, he grabbed Nori's shoulder and spun him to face him. Nori made to shrug him off irritably but Kili gripped his shoulders tightly and let Nori feel the weight of his regard.

The older man glared at him but stopped trying to get away.

"It is not your fault," Kili said slowly and clearly. "It's not your fault you didn't see this coming. If you want to beat yourself up I'll happily indulge you in the ring but I'd much rather you get to work on keeping our people safe. It's not your fault, Nori. Okay? Let's just work on getting through this. We need to work together on this. I need you on this. You're one of our best camera techs. I need you have a clear head. Can you do that for me?"

He kept his eyes locked onto Nori's and after a moment the older man nodded slowly, whilst staring at Kili oddly.

"I can do that." He said.

"Good," said Kili. He released him and then went over to Thorin to see how he could help smooth over his uncle's interactions with the police.


	38. Princes and Suns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried something a little different this time...Hope you all enjoy! Thank you all those who commented and gave kudos!!!

 

Almost everyone in the crowd winced. Even Foehammer sucked in a sympathetic breath through his teeth when the black-haired fighter took a particular nasty right cross to his broken ribs. I do not react, do not even make any innocuous movement. The Dragon is watching. He watches me as I watch the fight.

These last few days it is as some instinct in him knows that I am not what he wants me to be, not what I was. And so, he watches me. I have given him no reason to do anything and I must continue to do so.

Diamondbone is leaning forward on the rails to my left, partially hiding me from view. I cannot make him move because to do so would definitely cause him punishment. Still something in me warms at his gesture. Foehammer too flanks me on the other side, though some distance away, as if he is afraid I would not be able to handle watching this fight.

I am amused at their concern. When have I become someone who is in need of concern? I do not know because I do not need it. I am not glass. I have never been someone that breaks easy. And I'm stronger than I have ever been.

In the ring, the black-haired fighter staggers away, dropping his elbow to protect his injured side. Whiplash does not allow him to retreat far. He follows him and jabs at Black Mane's head, an opening created when he had dropped his arm. Black Mane absorbs the blow, lets the momentum twist him and then his right arm is shooting out, snatching Whiplash's fist as he pulls it in from the blow he had just delivered. Black Mane yanks him forward and knees him in the stomach. Whiplash grunts, and struggles to free his arm. The trapped arm is twisting his body in such a way that he cannot hit Black Mane with his other arm. He settles for kicking instead and they trade kicks and blocks.

Whiplash is fast. Very, Very fast. He is faster than the black-haired fighter and slightly more flexible. If this were any other fight, I would judge Whiplash to be the next winner. But I have seen the black-haired fighter fight several times now. I am aware that he does not go down easily, he burns too hot, too dangerous for that.

Whiplash finally frees his arm and swings out at the black-haired fighter who ducks the blow and the kick that follows. Black Mane spins and delivers a next back kick to Whiplash which strikes his guard but doesn't break through it. Whiplash recovers and dives across the ring in a tackle. The black-haired fighter tosses himself back, landing on his back and sliding. Whiplash's tackle falls short.

He basically lands on top of Black Mane but with only little of the driving force he would have hit him with. Even so, Whiplash is a heavily muscled human being and therefore heavy. Even Diamondbone winces in sympathy because Black Mane is fighting with broken ribs. But the black-haired fighter reacts like he isn't.

He locks his legs behind Whiplash's back and rolls them so that he is on top. Then he starts punching. It's takes him only two blows to break through Whiplash's guard. The next three lands directly to his opponent's face before Whiplash strikes out, one punch landing on those broken ribs, the other on Black Mane's collar bone and Whiplash manages to flip them over and begins raining blows on him.

"Ouch," says DINAO. "Do you think he'll make it past this fight?"

I glance at him and feel him tense at the look in my eyes. I shrug leisurely.

"We'll see," I reply, frost coating my words.

The black-haired fighter copies Whiplash's punches to the side and collar bone and flips them over again but rolls away once he's on top. Good. They weren't likely to get very far in that.

Whiplash staggers to his feet and they circle the ring warily. The black-haired fighter is breathing more heavily than usual and he's favoring his left side ever so slightly. Still he moves sure footedly around the ring, taking the time for a breather. After a few steps, he visibly regroups and a smile starts on his face, stretching his split lips and making the bruises on his face, there when he'd entered the ring, take on a frightening cast.

A good deal of the fight in a ring is psychological. I had seen him use that aspect before, trading words back and forth but I had never seen him use the psychological aspect like this. Whiplash is uneasy and it is simple to understand why. The black-haired fighter has made a reputation for himself. They've all seen him fight, they all know that he is good at what he does and so the fact that he's smiling, does not bode well.

"Come on!" he taunts Whiplash. "What's taking you so long? Are you whipped already?"

"Not a chance," Whiplash responds, voice cocky. But he is still not attacking. Good move on his part. I wouldn't have either.

"Then what are you waiting for?" the black-haired fighter taunts again. But he is still grinning and Whiplash is thinking before he moves.

* * *

"Honestly," says DINAO, "The guy gets a fighter who's already half beaten and he still can't beat him?"

"He beat me," said Foehammer cheerfully, "Half beaten he's still dangerous."

"Do you really think so?" DINAO asks, voice full of derision.

Foehammer laughs. "I would pay money," he says, "to see you go up against him. I think it'd be the highlight of my week to see you beaten." The smile he turns on DINAO is not kind.

DINAO's face hardens and he cocks his head at Foehammer. "Be careful Hammer," he says very softly.

"When I'm dead," Foehammer tosses back casually. "And we all know how well that would go if you kill me. The Dragon does love his horde so."

DINAO stiffens but then smiles. "There are other ways to hurt," he says and turns his attention back to the fight, as do I.

* * *

It is just in time. Whiplash finally moves. He and the black-haired fighter trade blows before Whiplash manages to twist him around land a vicious front kick to Black Mane's back. The blow cracks across the ring and Black Mane is propelled forward, blood arcing in the air from his mouth.

The blood is dark red and clearly internal. Silence falls in the arena as the crowd takes in the sight. It takes me half a second too long to notice that my knuckles are white from where I'm gripping the rails. I relax instantly and hoped that the dragon was not watching.

The other tournament fighters, in the balcony opposite from us, are all on their feet, Graylin half-leaning over the railing, along with Sting. Their faces are all a mix of sympathy and horror. Save for Graylin, there is no doubt in their minds that the fight will not end in Black Mane's favour. In fact, most probably expect that he will have to concede.

The black-haired fighter lands on one knee and the twists his body to look at Whiplash who has paused. And he is grinning. Blood smeared his teeth, but his smile is wide and wild and with his wild black hair framing his face, highlighting those laser eyes, he looked anything but weak. Some might have described him as a demon but I would not. He looked like a prince, not the kind my mother used to read to me about but the kind my uncle would tell me about in secret.

In that moment, he was not just a fighter. He was a warrior prince on his chosen field of battle and he was damn glad to be there.

The fight did not last very long after that.

In less than a minute he had dislocated Whiplash's elbow, broken two of his ribs and rammed his way past his guard and knocked him unconscious. The arena who had never started back screaming, stayed silent for a few beats while the black-haired fighter stood in the middle of the ring, head down breathing heavily, blood dropping from his fists.

Then he looked up, the cocky fighter he'd been at the start, and spread his hands as if to say, 'What? No applause?'

The crowd screams and the announcer runs out. Beside me I am aware that Diamondbone is only now slowly relaxing.

He glances at me, shakes his head and then says softly, "Are you really going to fight that, Fili?"

I raise an eyebrow lazily. "Do you think I'll lose?"

"No," he says, "But I don't know that either of you will win."

Beside me DINAO huffs in amusement and stalks off. But there is a manner of confusion in the way he moves and it takes me a moment to realize that he has not seen what the rest of us has. He has only seen a fighter who made a good mid-fight comeback, not the warrior prince that lurked in the black-haired fighter's frame. I snort in amusement. He's in for a very rude wake up call.

In the ring, the black-haired fighter is leaving but he sweeps a look across both balconies. Our eyes only meet for a second. But in that second was a moment of simultaneous acknowledgement, from one prince to another, suns blazing in both our eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a nice day/night!!!


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me if you like!

Oin is guaranteed to kill him, Kili thinks. His breath hitches awkwardly and each in and exhalation stabs knives deep into him. Still he walks tall, glides over the floor to the prep room. He should be staggering in exhaustion, in pain, but Kili feels wildly alive. This exhaustion is something he owns and dominates. He may be Black Mane but he's a descendant of The Undying and for the first time Kili thinks he might understand why the name is part of his heritage.

"Are you okay?"

Kili looks up to find Graylin hovering in the doorway. Kili grinned at him. "I'm good."

"You need a hospital," said Sting, crowing into the doorway. "Like definitely."

"I'm pretty sure that's Whiplash," Kili said.

"Him too," said Sting. "But your ribs were like broken before. And now I'm sure they're broken again."

"He's right," said Graylin.

"I'm fine," said Kili. "And I have access to medical care if I need it." He finished unwrapping his hands and then pushed himself to his feet. He swayed a little but steadied soon enough.

"Right," said Graylin. "I'm putting you in a cab."

Kili found himself duly bundled into a cab and ferried back to Erebor Corps. He snuck in and then went to shake Oin awake.

"What! What!" the old man startled up, fists flying. Kili darted back to avoid being punched again that night.

"It's me!" said Kili into the darkness of the room.

"Kili?" the doctor said.

"Yeah," said Kili. "I will get Bomber to cook you your food of choice for a week if you help me."

"What did you do laddie?!" snapped Oin. "It must be bad since you're bribing me straight off."

Kili winced and switched on the lights. "So, uh..." Oin stared and him and then literally turned red with incandescent rage.

The next hour of Kili's life was spent being poked, prodded, forced to shove a nasal cannula in his nose and had a bright light shined into his eyes several times because Oin declared that there must be something wrong with his brain. In between all of this Oin kept up a rhythmic whacking of the back of his head with a rolled up magazine. Kili's lungs were listened to, and Oin told him he was severely lucky that his ribs hadn't punctured his lungs. They had slide out of place though and had to be reset.

Oin did not spare him, the old man's worry expressing itself through anger. Kili sat through the resetting and only lost consciousness on the last one. When he finally came to again, he was lying down on a cool pillow, his ribs securely wrapped and an IV was feeding him some delicious morphine.

"Is it worth it lad?" Oin asked softly, sorrowfully, arranging something on the tiny table next to the bed. Kili didn't think he knew that Kili was awake.

"Every drop of blood," Kili replied just as softly, not looking at Oin. "Every broken bone, every harsh word. There's a wound in this family. I'm just trying to close it."

"Whatever hurts we have lad, they've scarred over. They're in the past," Oin replied earnestly, although still not looking at Kili either.

"No," Kili disagreed. "We're not bleeding out but it still hasn't healed."

"Lad..." began Oin but Kili shook his head and reached out, gripping the doctor's wrist.

"I see it," he said both earnestly and frustrated, the morphine simultaneously clouding his mind and making him strangely lucid. "I think I'm the only one who sees it sometimes. And we can live like this but we shouldn't. All my life I've been told I'm going to inherit the company but you know, you know better than anyone that the company isn't just an organization, a name, a logo. The company is the people. I'm going to inherit the people. And I have to take care of them. I can't stop."

There was silence and then Oin patted the hand that was holding onto him and said, "Alright laddie. Alright." Then Kili slipped off to sleep.

* * *

Outside the infirmary, Oin stopped to rub both hands over his face. "Mahal," he breathed. He looked back at the room. "Was this in you all this time lad?" He shook his head and murmured to an absent Thorin. "Thorin Oakenshield, I do not think you or I or anyone else here, realized what lay inside your sister son. King of the Castle you may be, but the lad will, one day, quite comfortably step into your shoes." he glanced the room one more time. "Oh Mahal. What a burden we placed on you lad."

* * *

Kili opened his eyes and groaned.

"Good!" said an annoyingly cheerful voice. A stack on something thumped on Kili's bed making him groan again. "Great timing Kili!"said Ori, still in deliberately annoying accents. "You're just in time to do the paperwork! It's due for 12:00 pm today!"

"Wha..?" Kili managed but Ori was already sweeping out the room. Kili flopped his hand around and found one of the sheets Ori had left on his bed. He squinted at it and then groaned when he figured out what it was. Ori had left him what looked like two days' paperwork on requisitions that Kili was supposed to have done. Kili squinted at the pile. Actually it looked like he was doing Ori's share too.

He sighed and let his head drop back onto the pillow. Fair enough. He left Ori with his share of paperwork many times before and the other had always covered for him. It took him sometime to shuffle all the papers onto the tiny table and then he attempted to sit down. When that went well, he tried to stand.

His first attempt was pretty short and Kili found himself sternly dumped back onto the bed by his body. He grimaced, put a hand to his side and tried again. He managed it this time and wobbled his way over to the bathroom. He really wanted a hot shower.

* * *

"No, really?" said Nori when he sank into his chair in Nori's office.

"Let's, let's not talk about it," Kili mumbled.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"No," said Kili. "Really, no. But the other guy really didn't have a problem using an advantage."

Nori studied him. "You don't have to prove anything Kili," he said quietly. "Not to yourself, not like this."

Kil stiffened and then relaxed. "I know."

Nori raised an eyebrow. Kili gave him a little smile.

"I know that. Really. I think I actually know that better now." His face twisted. "Strangely enough."

Nori studied him again and then finally nodded in satisfaction. "Alright. Work on your paperwork."

"What are you doing?" Kili asked.

"Going through the camera footage from before the raid."

"The city cams or our cams?"

"City," said Nori. "The ORCS may have been smart enough to avoid them but the guys who attacked us last night, they had to move the weapons they got from the ORCS right? There's a chance that they slipped up. If I can find when they did, then maybe I can trace them back to the ORCS."

"That's a long shot," said Kili.

"You're a sniper," Nori snarked back. "I thought you'd be in favour."

Kili laughed.

* * *

"And he's insane," Ori said when he caught Kili sneaking out. "You know Thorin's going to kill you right? Like, Oin saved you today but he won't do it tomorrow."

"I'm not going to fight tonight," Kili said. "But I really can't miss this match."

"Fate of the tournament?" Ori said dryly.

"More like fate of my next match," Kili replied.

"In that case," said Ori. "I should keep you here. With the shape you're in, I think even I can hold you down long enough. Then you'll lose and stop coming home beaten half to death."

"Ori!" Kili pleaded.

"Go," said Ori, rolling his eyes, but unable to keep the worry out of them. "But be careful Kili. The ORCS are out on the streets. If they happen to see you..."

"I know," Kili said grimly. "Game over. Don't worry I always watch my tracks."

"Nori will keep an eye on you for as long as you let him," said Ori.

Kili nodded. "Tell him thanks." Then he was out the building, door closing with a heavy thunk that said it was sealed shut again.

* * *

The noise was hell on his poor, concussed brain. It didn't even matter that it was a mild concussion. Kili squinted through the shades that he wore and tried not to feel nauseous. He looked over the crowd and found where the fighters were gathered. Like last night's fight, a VIP gallery had been cleared out for them but only one, which meant that all the fighters would be there.

Interesting tactic, Kili thought, for a match like this. He edged around the crowd until he came to the prep room. Again there was only one room for both fighters. The den guards let him through and Kili stuck his head through the doorway.

"Hey!" he said.

Graylin looked up and grinned. "Aren't you supposed to be resting?" Kili promptly flipped him the finger causing Killer to laugh.

"I came to say good luck," Kili said.

"For me or him?" Killer chuckled.

"Eh, him," Kili said.

Killer laughed again and Graylin said, "Thanks. But I'm pretty sure I don't need it."

"I know," Kili said. "Knock him out!"

"Right here boys," Killer interjected. Kili shot him a sunny smile and held out his hand for a fist bump. A brief look of surprise flashed across Killer's face and then he knocked his hand against Kili's.

"Good luck," Kili told them both and then he was out and making his way up to the gallery.

"I hate stairs," he chanted through pained puffs, as he pulled himself up them. "I really hate stairs."

When he finally reached the gallery he was greeted with a bunch of surprised but welcoming yells.

"Well, look at that, he's not dead!" said one of the Den fighters. Giant, Kili thought.

"What on earth are you doing here!" Sting said.

"Do you really expect me to miss this match?" Kili said raising an eyebrow and giving a cocky grin.

"They did actually," Foehammer interjected, "They decided not to leave a chair for you."

Kili put a hand to his heart in mock 'I'm hurt' gesture.

Sting snorted. "For all we knew you were capped out in a hospital. Actually I'm fairly certain you should be."

"Drugs," said Kili. "Drugs are awesome."

Sting laughed. "They are," he agreed.

"Just don't faint on us," said DINAO from behind Kili. "If you do, we'll be interrupted from watching the match while they cart your body out."

Kili turned with a smirk. "If that interrupts you, you're not as good as I thought."

A look of surprise flashed across DINAO's face and then he threw back his head with laughter. "Nice shot but not completely fair to our fighters, I think. They'll need a lot of attention, this match."

Kili shrugged. "Sure, but you really have to be able to multitask." With that he moved off and kicked at the chair Sting was sitting in.

"Get up," he said.

"Hell no," Sting replied cheerfully. So Kili propped up on the back on the chair as they waited for the matches to start.

* * *

He knows when the Lion Prince has entered the gallery before he even sees him. There is a frisson of tension, that is here and gone before he can even grasp that it happened. He casually turns his head and sees the Lion Prince paused at the top of the steps. He meets Kili's eyes and raises an eyebrow in languid surprise and then moves across the gallery to the left corner, leaning against the rail to see better into the ring.

Ringmaster bounds up the stairs a few seconds later and grins at them all. His arm is in a sling and purple bruises dot his jaw from where Diamondbone had dislocated it.

"Well, well," he said, "Looks like the whole gang is here."

"What is it with people who are supposed to be in the hospital, appearing today?" Sting asked rhetorically.

Ringmaster laughs and moves into the gallery. "If you think something like a broken collarbone and some ribs are supposed to keep me in a hospital, you're greener than I thought."

Sting snorted. "No smarter," he says causing a round of laughter through the gallery. Ringmaster exchanges nods with Diamondbone, the kind that holds both respect and rivalry in them and then heads over to the railing, settling in surprisingly close to the Lion Prince.

Giant props up on the other side of Ringmaster, and Kili moves from his perch on Sting's chair to lean on the railing next to Giant. Foehammer settles in next to him, Sting moving from his chair then, to lean unconcernedly next to Foehammer. Diamondbone nudges Sting to go around and the whole line of fighters shuffle down to make space for the others. Cave settles next to Diamondbone and by now, there really is no way anyone who isn't standing at the railing can actually see anything, so the rest of the fighter's reluctantly line up.

Soon they're standing shoulder to shoulder, a line of fighters and to the world, they don't look like Den Fighters and outsiders. There's still division of course, some of the Den fighters towards the end of the line are seething or sulking, not at all pleased by the gesture. But there's nothing they can do about it. They can't hide their nature as fighters and really that's all that's needed to make them all look like a united front to the crowd.

Kili catches a glint of a smile from Foehammer, glances over to see DINAO's eyes dark with anger and Sting's lit up with mischief. Diamondbone's face is calm and neutral, Giant's too. Ringmaster's eyes are pleased but the emotion is buried quickly.

The Lion Prince? The Lion Prince is amused. Kili can tell, even though The Lion Prince doesn't look at the rest of them, doesn't even seem to notice them. There's something in the subtle set of his shoulders that gives it away. His shoulders are realigned the next time Kili glances at him out of the corner of his eyes.

 _'Having fun?'_  he seems to be asking.

Kili deliberately relaxes more and sets a cheerful smirk on his face.  _'What do you think?_ ' it conveys.

He knows the Lion Prince understands because the next time Kili glances at him, he is even more amused but his stance is colder, distancing. Foehammer shifts a little, body gently pointing to a room shielded with a darkened screen. The Dragon must be there then, Kili surmises and from the reactions of the den fighters, he's probably pissed. Kili really wishes at that moment that Graylin was here because he's not as good at reading the undercurrents of a room. It takes him a few moments to realize that the Lion Prince was amused because the Dragon was pissed. This match was between a den fighter and an outside fighter but this time both opponents are well liked and/or respected by both their own sides. Putting them all in one gallery and having only one prep room was supposed to have made both sides more hostile with each other, at the very least rack up the competitiveness. However, that plan had clearly backfired.

 _'Having fun?_ ' Kili parrots back and those frosted blue eyes lighten for a brief moment.

* * *

The first few matches go quickly. The crowd is hyped and they want the tournament match because it's a clash of two favourites. Kili loses track of how much money he sees changes hands as people bet on whether or not Killer or Graylin will win this match. In fact an extra fifteen minutes is given for betting which sends the crowd into a greater frenzy.

But finally the betting is over and the announcer is bounding into the ring. Kili quickly puts his hands over his ears as the man starts to scream into the mike. It sadly doesn't help. But then Graylin is announced and he comes walking out the prep room and Kili shouts out:

"Yeah Graylin!"

Graylin takes his place in his corner and eyes the crowd and then glances up at the gallery. He freezes for a bare second when he sees them all there and then the announcer is calling Killer. Music blares and the den fighter runs up into the ring shouting to the crowd and playing up to them before backing into his corner.

He too scans the crowd and then glances up at the gallery. His reaction is barely there, muscles half-tightening in shock before relaxing. The referee calls both fighters to the center, explains the rules to them and sends them back to the corners.

Before they do though, both fighter bump their gloves together and Kili sees the grins that flash over both their faces. They talk for a brief moment, and Killer laughs a little at something Graylin says, his laughter both actually amused and exasperated.

It's then that he knows that this, this show of support from both sides, to both of them, means as much as he hoped it would. Then the bell rings the crowd screams and both fighters are moving towards each other.


	40. Chapter 40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Killer and Graylin's fight! I hope it lived up to the hype!

It starts with a kick and it's Graylin who makes the first move. The kick is high and Killer ducks. Graylin doesn't stop moving though, dropping and swirling the same leg at Killer's feet. Killer jumps and then snaps out with a kick of his own. Graylin jerks back, lands on his back and rolls to the side. He pops back up to his feet in time to block Killer's fist. The blow cracks across the arena and Graylin rocks back. He grins and strikes back fast seeking to breach the small opening Killer's half-extended fist had left in his guard. It didn't make it but it did succeed in making Killer take a small step backward. Graylin surged forward in the gap, gripped Killer's wrists and kneed him in his side.

Killer jerked his hands down and out, ripping them free from Graylin and also knocking Graylin's second knee-kick away. In the moment when Graylin was off balance Killer headbutt him. It isn't an easy blow. Killer is stronger than Graylin and it shows.

Graylin staggers away and then drops flat as Killer dives at him. Killer actually trips over his prone form and sprawls on the mat and then Graylin has twisted and his foot is coming down hard on Killer. He gets one kick in and doesn't go in for a second, choosing instead to regain his feet.

Killer too stands slowly. He cocks an eyebrow at Graylin and says something that makes the other fighter laugh and then they both settle back into fighter's crouches.

Kili, watching them both from the railing, is aware that the warm up is over. The rest of this fight won't be so easy. Both fighters know that this isn't a fight where you have the luxury of knowing your opponent too much. This match has to be quick and dirty. Killer's endurance is nowhere near Graylin's and Graylin knows that he can't weather Killer's blows forever either. Whatever secrets they can keep for themselves is all that may save them in this fight.

The next time they meet in the center of the mat, Graylin uses all his speed to dodge Killer's blows and Killer uses all his grace to land them on him. Graylin takes a few punishing blows but lands a few of his own, aiming for joints and nerve clusters.

When Killer comes for him again he spins away, making the other fighter work to hurt him. But Killer is experienced in fighting out-fighters, knows how to counter them and has had what is a lifetime of practice. He crowds Graylin into a corner and it's only some fancy footwork and some neat bobbing and weaving that gets Graylin out of the tight spot.

Graylin switches from defensive to offensive then and the pair of them trades blows. They hit the mat, grapple for a few seconds and then for some reason break apart and come up to their feet. They circle warily for a few seconds.

Kili knows he should be shouting encouragement but his throat has seized and his mouth is dry. He can only watch, unable to tear his eyes away. The rest of the crowd is screaming but Kili doesn't hear them. The rest of the fighters are silent, watching the match with the same intensity as Kili. Fighters of the caliber of Killer and Graylin rarely ever clash easily.

The next flurry of blows ends with cracked ribs on either side due to a kick from Graylin and an elbow from Killer. Graylin darts in lightning fast and feints with a jab and kicks instead. The kick lands hard on the side of Killer's knee. The leg buckles and Killer drops and Graylin takes advantage of the sudden height difference to try a modified hammer punch. Killer dodges so that the punch hits his shoulder instead. The blow is crushing but the den fighter moves like it doesn't matter. He abandons his guard and hooks and arm around Graylin's waist and throws him to the floor.

Graylin grabs at him as they go down and tries to rolls them so that he ends up on top but Killer had better leverage. He manages to pin one of Graylin's hands with one his knees and then begins punching at his face. Graylin blocks as best as he can with one hand but it definitely isn't enough. Killer isn't in the same strength class as Foehammer and the Lion Prince but he wasn't too far away either.

Kili suddenly remembers that the Den fighters are all names for some aspect of themselves and feels almost sick with tension. It's not that he doesn't think that Graylin can win but he knows that it won't be won easily.

Graylin suddenly lashes out with his one free hand, the heel of his palm smacking hard into Killer's diaphragm. The sharp, hard blow, cuts Killer's breathing for a second and the second of distraction is all Graylin needs to free his pinned hand. With the same hand he jabs Killer in the throat. Killer rocks back in time to stop it from being a debilitating blow.

Graylin rocks hard to the side and manages to twist out from Killer. Killer dives to pin him again but Graylin spins on the mat and manages to scramble up behind him just as Killer is recovering from the failed lunge. He catches him in a choke hold and the both of them balance on their knees for a few precarious seconds. Then Killer throws himself sideways taking Graylin with him. They both crash back onto the mat and then Killer uses his strength and bulk to roll on to his hands and knees. Graylin doesn't let go though. But before he can react, Killer is on his feet, dragging Graylin up with him and then he drops backward, landing hard on Graylin.

Most of the fighters watching grimace at that. Graylin had broken ribs and now he has more. Killer gets out of Graylin's choke hold and scrambles to him feet. Graylin is slower to get to his feet but it's still fast by anyone's standards.

They trade blows back and forth, with Graylin taunting Killer, dancing out of his way and then striking back in, still aiming from his joints and nerve points. Killer is starting to slow from exhaustion but Graylin too is slowing, his injuries are starting to tell.

But both fighters are grinning at each other. This fight needs to be quick and dirty but they're both realizing that it's going to be slow and brutal.

A lot of the crowd is screaming but some of them have fallen silent, realizing that this isn't going to be like other fights.

"Ouch," murmurs Foehammer under his breath.

"Yeah," Kili agrees.

"This is going to hurt," Sting says quietly.

"Did you think it was going to tickle?" Giant murmurs back.

"It's going to hurt more than I thought it would," Sting replies.

"Isn't that the way it always is in the ring?" Diamondbone asks.

Below the fighters exchange a brutal regime of kicks. Kili can't hear the bone breaking across the din of the crowd but he sees the deformity in Killer's side, notes the limp Graylin carries from one of Killer's blows to his legs.

His eye flick to the Lion Prince. The other fighter is still leaning coolly on the wall watching the fight but after a moment his eyes flick to Kill and then back to the fight. Kili returns his gaze to the fight feeling oddly as if some of the tension had drained out of him. The Lion Prince's eyes had been blank but not cold.

Killer and Graylin are grappling again. Killer has a handful of Graylin's hair. When Graylin frees himself from the hold, Killer is left with the handful of hair while blood drips down Graylin's scalp. Graylin cheerfully flicks the blood away and then goes for Killer with everything he's got.

It's breathtaking to watch.

Unpredictability has always been Graylin's strongest point and he uses it to the max. He lands so many blows in the next minute Kili actually loses count. But Killer takes them and keeps coming. It seems that the more threatened he is, the scarier he becomes, the more dangerous he fights.

Kili almost curses himself out loud when he finally sees it. Stupid, stupid, stupid to think that the Dragon would ever tolerate someone who didn't have good endurance, stupid to think that some who trains with the likes of the Lion Prince and D.I.N.A.O. would ever have poor endurance.

Killer doesn't have poor stamina, he has control; too much control, to the point where it hampers him. Killer is the type of fighter who too dangerous to ever be allowed to fight wildly, the kind that kills if they ever let themselves slip, the kind that fights with everything they have to survive. And when Graylin pushes at him, pushes him to his limits in a display of combat that's almost unbelievable, then Kili sees the survivor come out.

When Kili was younger and hadn't been as skilled, Balin had cautioned him. "If you ever get in a fight laddie," he had said, "If some mugger ever comes for you on the streets, don't try and fight them any more than you have to. You run as fast and as hard as you can to get way. It's a lot harder than you think to stop someone who is intent in getting away. And it's a lot harder to hurt them. Survival instinct is a powerful tool. Never underestimate it."

Kili understands what Balin had been taking about now.

There's no flight in this adrenaline-infused scenario, so Killer fights. The iron control that holds him back, is gone in his quest to survive and then he is moving. It's not graceful or pretty. It's brutal and gut-wrenching and downright ugly.

Graylin lasts longer than most would have thought. But Graylin had fought for life too before and the knowledge shows. The fighters, tear into each other, punching, slapping, and jabbing into to sensitive spots with precision strikes. It's all done in a grim fervor. It's a drunk dance with none of the alcohol and the pain of a hangover echoing from every bone.

But then Killer gets in a punch and a sickening crack comes from Graylin's upper arm. Skin stretches and bulges, distended over the snapped bone. Graylin goes white, but he lands a front kick straight back onto Killer's broken ribs. Killer staggers back and Graylin gets half a second of breathing space. Then Killer is diving at him. He knocks Graylin's feet out from under him and Graylin falls hard. Red blooms as the broken bone finally pierces skin. Graylin's strangled cry is cut of as Killer rolls him on to his stomach, kneels on his back and hooks an arm around his throat.

Graylin struggles hard but Kili knows from experience that the pain his must be feeling is making him lightheaded. Graylin struggles hard but he can't make it out from the hold.

"Tap out," Kill mutters. Killer's eyes are still half-lost in adrenaline. If it goes on too long, Kili fears that he mightn't stop his choke hold. "Tap out Graylin!"

As if he heard him, Graylin give one last struggle but then taps out on the mat.

"Tap out! The referee calls. He jumps into the ring and heads over to the fighters but before he reaches them Killer releases Graylin and gets off him. Then he gently helps him to sit up.

Graylin spits what looks like a particularly nasty swearword at him and Killer snorts with laughter, tension leaving his shoulders because despite Graylin's language he can tell he's not actually angry at him. He gets Graylin to his feet and then lets the referee to lift his hand proclaiming him the winner.

"Well," says D.I.N.A.O., "That was exciting."

"That was painful," Sting says.

"That's the ring," D.I.N.A.O. replies, smugly.

"And he needs a hospital," Kili said, "And awesome drugs. Catch you guys later." With that he's moving, pushing his way to the prep room where Killer and Graylin disappeared into. He's halfway down the stairs when footsteps sound behind him and then the Lion Prince is keeping pace with him in graceful motions. They don't talk, just keep moving towards the room and their combined bulk and presence sends people who are in their way, scattering.

When they reach the prep room, The Lion Prince lets Kili slip in ahead of him. Kili darts inside and then comes to a stop. Up close Graylin's arm looks even worse. He sees Kili's face and laughs.

"Yes," he said, voice tight with pain. "It looks bad."

"It is bad," Kili snorted.

Killer who was currently rooting around in his bag for something said, "I said I was sorry." He came up triumphant with bandages which he tossed to Kili. "Use that to band the arm and make a sling for now."

"He breaks my arm and then gives me a bandaid to slap on it," Graylin says dryly to Kili but his eyes are sparkling with real humor.

"Uh tournament match," Killer groused back, "What did you think was going to happen?"

Kili blinks at them both because friend or no, ring or not, this was a little too cheerful to be normal. It's the Lion Prince who lets Kili understand what's happening. He's standing at Kili's back, a little between them and Killer and Kili realizes that all the banter is to let Killer re-wrap those iron chains of control back around himself. Any antagonistic moves or words would leave him still on edge, still in that state where he was likely to do anything.

"I thought you were going to lose," Kili said cheerfully. "I'm fairly certain Graylin thought so too!"

Killer snorts but he is relaxing by degrees. Kili wraps Graylin's arm to keep it immobile for the journey but then sort of stares in trying to figure out how to use the bandages as a sling. He feels the Lion Prince's amusement when he realizes Kili is stuck and then he gently tells him what to do. When Kili is done and turns to look at him, he even manages to keep the smile off his face. Bastard.

"Well," said Kili. "This has been lovely but we have places to be."

"No kidding," says Graylin, through gritted teeth. Placing his hand in a sling had not been a particularly painless procedure. With a wave of a hand Kili took his leave and helped Graylin out the building.


	41. Chapter 41

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoy!!!

"I hate hospitals," Graylin muttered as Kili led him through the doors of Dale Hospital A/E department.

"I love hospitals," Kili said, "I love them so much. They're always so kind to me, keeping me alive and all that." Graylin gave him a look but it was somewhat shorn of its usual sharpness. His eyes were tight with pain and he was pale. Kili sympathized. Broken anything was not fun, no matter how much practice you'd had with bearing the pain.

Doctors swarmed them, and Kili delivered Graylin into their tender hands, made sure he was getting treated and then took his leave. He was tired, he needed rest and walking the streets this late was dangerous, especially if ORCS found him.

He hailed a cab, made sure to snap the license plate and send it to Nori and then told the driver to take him back to Erebor Corps. Luckily he reached back home without incident and the door clicked open as he approached it. He slipped inside and was promptly greeted by a very annoyed Oin who scrutinized him from head to toe. Kili lifted his hands in surrender and said,

"I didn't fight tonight!"

Oin narrowed his eyes at Kili and said, "I asked you to talk lad?" Then he did a brisk examination of Kili to make sure he was not lying. Satisfied that Kili wasn't any more hurt than he'd been, he sent him to bed. Kili gratefully went to his room feeling like a chastised child.

"Thanks," he muttered to the old doctor as he left. Oin's only reply was a snort and then Oin shuffled off to his room as well.

* * *

"Morning!" Kili says cheerfully as he walks into Nori's domain. "I bring coffee and Bomber's pies freshly stolen."

"I knew there was a reason I liked you!" Nori said. He reaches for the coffee and snags both cups. Kili opens his mouth to protest and Nori shakes his head. "This is the price you pay lad for keeping me up, making sure you're home safe."

"You never sleep anyway!" Kili protests but only halfheartedly. He doesn't take his cup of coffee back either but manages to steal little sips every now and then before Nori downs the rest.

"How's our long shot going?" Kili asks.

"Long," Nori says. Kili examines him and feels a pang of guilt when he notices the dark circles under his eyes. He can't recall a time when he's seen Nori this tired. The security tech has always seemed to have boundless energy.

"Let me run through the footage before the last attack," Kili offered.

"I've gone through those a hundred times," Nori says. "So have you for that matter."

"Different perspective," Kili offered. Nori gives him a look.

"It was a shot in the dark Kili," he says. "I'm beginning to think we missed our target here."

"I make shots in the dark all the time," Kili said and then pauses. "The dark….."

"What?" said Nori, clearly noticing that Kili was on the edges of an idea.

"When you went through the footage of the days before the raid…you focused more on the nights right? The corners where the cameras were pretty scarce."

"Yeah but I also did a pretty good scan of the daylight happenings."

"I'm sure you did," said Kili leaning over and tapping at Nori's keyboard. "But sometimes, the obvious things, aren't."

He starts bringing up sections of the footage and as Nori watches, starts cutting through bits and pieces, apparently looking for something.

"What are you looking for?" Nori asked.

"A perfectly logical reason to carry guns," Kili said. "Look the ORCS may not have been here for some time but our local thugs? Hell yeah they know this place like the back of their hands even if they're not as smart as the ORCS. They may not be good enough to get their hands on weaponry like the ORCS but they will know how to transport it. "

"And how are they doing that?" Nori asked.

Kili paused a bit of footage and said, "Do you know how fighting ring tournaments are announced?"

"No," said Nori after a pause.

"It's a cake sale," said Kili. "They use flyers to announce a cake sale. If you know the code, you can read it."

"And what does this have to do with anything?"

"Because a tournament was announced recently yeah? By flyers for a cake sale. Our goon squad from the last raid just used it as a convenient excuse." Kili pointed to the bakery van in the paused footage. "I don't know about you but I've lived in Dale my whole life and I have never seen that bakery in my life. And you know me, I gravitate towards sugar. And if it's new, why so many vans in the days before the raid? How did they become so popular?"

"You think they moved the guns in the vans," said Nori.

Kili nodded. "But if I had to guess those vans have already been repainted."

"So, we can't find them," said Nori, "But we don't need to. We just need to backtrack them."

"And maybe we'll find where our ORCS go to ground in the day," said Kili.

"Another long shot," said Nori glancing at him.

"Trust the sniper," Kili said, "I think we'll hit something this time."

* * *

"Trust the sniper, he says," Nori groans. "We'll hit something he says."

"Shut up," Kili says, blinking blearily at the screen. "We have narrowed down the area."

"Narrowed," said Nori. "We need to pinpoint the area."

"I didn't say it would be easy," Kili retorted. He eyes felt like they were about to fall out of his head. "How do you even stare at these things for so long?"

"Practice," said Nori, "And I was born from a computer code."

"I believe it," Kili said.

"Are you two alive?" Bofur asked poking he head in.

"Define alive," Kili said.

"Moving, breathing, processing thought," Bofur replied clearly amused.

Kili paused, apparently taking stock and then shook his head. "Nope. I'm dead."

"Beat him to a pulp," he's fine," said Nori, "Put him in front of a screen and he's a wuss."

"My eyes are melting," Kili said.

"You do look like you're about to suddenly sprout a nosebleed," said Bofur. "Get of here, Kili," he said. "Go talk to Thorin."

Kili's head shot up. "He wants to see me?"

"No," said Bofur. "That is, he hasn't asked for you but you should probably go talk to him anyway."

Kili blinked and then decided that he knew a hint when it was slapping him in the face. "Yeah I'll do that. I needed some fresh air anyway."

* * *

"Thorin?" Kili asked, poking his head into Thorin's office.

"Kili," said Thorin looking up. His narrowed. "What's wrong?"

Kili blinked. "Nothing. I uh, I brought coffee."

He held out the cup to Thorin who breathed in deeply and asked almost incredulously, "Is that Dwalin's stash?"

"The very same," Kili said proudly.

"He let you take some?" Thorin asked incredulously.

"Sure," Kili said, "Although 'let' is probably a strong word."

Thorin fixed him with a stare. "You stole it," Thorin said flatly.

"Yep," said Kili, "Are you really not going to drink it?"

"Give it!" Thorin said and Kili grinned and handed over the cup of coffee to Thorin who gulped down several mouthfuls of steaming hot but beautifully rich coffee. He sat on the corner of Thorin's desk as his uncle savored the coffee. After a moment, Thorin put down the cup and said, "Bombur reported that some of his pies went missing this morning."

"What a shame," Kili said dryly, eyes twinkling.

"You didn't bring any?" Thorin asked.

"Sorry no, Nori and I ate them," Kili said. Thorin glared. "I'll bring next time," Kili assured him.

Thorin let up in the glare and then leaned back in his chair and eyed Kili. "What are you here for?"

"I needed some air," said Kili, "And I was wondering what had you looking like you wanted to rip your hair out."

Thorin opened his mouth to deny it and then closed it. "The last raid is having the rest of our customers very antsy. We might lose those who we are still protecting to other companies. Our only saving grace here is that Mirkwood and Rivendell will also be strained trying to keep up a full complement of guards for all our customers so they can't take on everyone."

"Do our customers know that?" Kili asked.

"They do but they still don't like the situation," Thorin said.

"Well Nori and I are trying to track down the O.R.C.S.," said Kili, "And we believe we've narrowed down the area. We just need them to hold on for a bit."

"And how," said Thorin acidly, "are we going to do that nephew?"

Kili paused in thought and then rocked off his uncle's desk eyes alight with an idea. "By doing what we do best," he said. He grinned at Thorin, "Sell security."

* * *

"What is he doing?" asked Dis as she walked in on them later. Kili, on the phone simply waved at his mother and continued to talk in his most earnest and respectful manner to the person in the other end.

"Single-handedly spinning a story," Thorin replied to his sister. He wore a look that was half-bemused and half-amused.

"What story," said Dis blinking at Kili.

"He told them," said Thorin slowly, "That the O.R.C.S. were targeting us because they knew we were the main obstacle in their path. He's convinced them that the O.R.C.S. mean to take us out so that they will have a clear shot to the store's contents. He's making them think that if we're out of the picture, they'll only suffer worse losses."

"Huh," said Dis, "but what about those who are using other security companies?"

Thorin almost cracked a smile. "He told them that the others weren't a deterrent which is why the O.R.C.S. didn't bother about them. He's managed to imply that the O.R.C.S. could get through time at any time and so don't actually need to attack them until we're out of the picture."

"He even managed to imply to a couple of them that the O.R.C.S. might have agents at the other companies that would help the O.R.C.S. break into their stores," Bofur said cheerfully. "Not outright of course and I really think that first guy gave Kili the idea in the first place but he's run with it very subtly on the harder ones. Who knows," Bofur shrugged. "It might even be real."

"Who is he and what has he done with my son?" said Dis.

Kili shot her an appalled look and then returned to his conversation. He wound it up and then said, "Mom!"

"No really," said Dis.

"Well the years of training has got to come into play sometime right?" Kili sighed. He glanced at the clock. "I think that's the last one for today. I'm not even sure if I have a voice anymore." His throat felt like sand paper. Thorin tossed him a water bottle and Kili gratefully gulped down the water.

"I think I bought us some time."

"That you did lad," said Thorin and his eyes were sparkling with approval. "Let's go do something with it."

**Author's Note:**

> Review please!


End file.
